


Simulacrum

by TheStageManager



Series: Simulacrum [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Force-Sensitive Clones (Star Wars), Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jedi clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Good Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Padawan Cody, Past Child Abuse, padawan rex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStageManager/pseuds/TheStageManager
Summary: "They're clones," Mace said, raising an eyebrow as he eyed the two young cadets."Perhaps... but they are no different than you and I. They have the Force, Mace," Obi-Wan countered. "They would have been decommissioned for it,""Still, they are too old for the Creche," Mace said, and Obi-Wan merely smiled."Then, I will take them as my Padawan Learners,"---------Set in an AU where Rex and Cody are still cadets during the Clone Wars.
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox & CC-6454 | Ponds, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-6454 | Ponds & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Simulacrum [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822810
Comments: 306
Kudos: 686
Collections: TexWash's Must Reads and Rereads





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This came shambling out of my mind-brain a few nights ago, I simply couldn't resist indulging in the idea.

“Is something wrong?” Obi-Wan asked, tucking his hands into his sleeves.

Ahead of him, the Kaminoan froze. He hadn’t been aware of the master Jedi’s presence until that point. Each of his long, wiry hands was wrapped tightly around the arm of a clone child—one with stand black hair, one who’s hair was so blonde, it was almost white.

Slowly and with great trepidation, the Kaminoan turned. “Master Jedi... I wasn’t aware you were there,”

Obi-Wan offered a small, amicable smile in returned. “Yes, I have been told I’m rather light on my feet,” he said easily, before turning his attention to the clone cadets, who stared up at him with wide eyes, utterly starstruck.

Their distress had been loud and jarring in the Force, though their expressions were brave. Kenobi knee something was amiss here, and the thought of it made his stomach churn. From what he’d heard from his troops, the Kaminoans were far from kind.

The mission had been relatively simple: The _Negotiator_ had been scheduled for a brief stop by Kamino to pick up new troops and fresh supplies. However, Obi-Wan never could resist sticking his nose into other people’s business, particularly when suffering children were involved.

“Where are you taking them?” Obi-Wan asked, cocking his head to the side casually as he gestured to the children. They were young, with the blonde boy looking only slightly younger than the dark-haired boy. If they’d been nat borns, Obi-Wan would’ve guessed eight and ten years old, which, given their accelerated aging, would place them around four or five years old.

The Kaminoan stared owlishly at the Jedi and relinquished his old on the two younglings, who moved to stand closer to each other. “To be decommissioned,” he said simply.

Though Obi-Wan didn’t know what the word meant, it must’ve been something awful because the blond boy’s eyes immediately began to water and the dark-haired boy began to tremble. In the Force, their distress spiked, bordering on panic.

“Decommissioned?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes,” said the Kaminoan. “They have failed to meet quality standards and cannot move forward with their training. They will be terminated,”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in horror. Was this a commonplace practice, that failure resulted in death? Was the Council Aware? Surely they would never condone such barbarism!

“Euthanized,” Obi-Wan said stoically, an icy rage spreading through his veins. “They are to be euthanized,”

The Kaminoan’s eyes lit up, seeing that the Jedi understood his meaning. “Correct,” he praised, as if there was nothing immoral about the practice of ending sentient lives.

Obi-Wan swallowed thickly, actively willing his anger to dissipate into the Force. This would not be allowed to continue. “On what grounds?” he demanded.

The Kaminoan tipped his head to the side in confusion. “I have said this already: they failed to meet quality standards,”

_Quality standards_. Obi-Wan’s blood was practically boiling. “Elaborate,” he ground out, willing himself to remain neutral in appearance. Now was not the time for anger, anger served no purpose here. He needed to keep a calm, level head and proceed with logic, not emotion. Lives were at stake.

“They are...” the Kaminoan hesitated, but the fierce dryness is Kenobi’s expression urged him forward. “They have displayed Force-sensitive abilities. This defect is unwanted and irreparable. They will be terminated,”

“They have the Force?” Obi-Wan asked in utter astonishment.

The blonde boy was red in the face, in an effort to conceal his emotions. He was practically on the brink of tears, but cowardice was not accepted in the facility, and had been beaten out of him.

“Correct,” said the Kaminoan, who was clearly growing impatient and ready to move forward with his task.

_Interesting._ That certainly changed matters. “I wasn’t aware that was a possibility? Why haven’t the Jedi been notified?” Obi-Wan demanded.

There was the loophole he’d been looking for.

The Kaminoan balked. “Why would that matter?” he demanded.

“Typically, Force sensitive younglings are released to the Jedi Order to be trained as Jedi,” Obi-Wan said casually, coldly. “We find this to be preferable to euthanasia,”

The Kaminoan pressed his lips into a thin line. “Of course, Master Jedi. We will... speak with the Order about such things in time,” he said and once again took ahold of the pair of clone boys, tightening his hold on their arms as if he still fully intended on following through with his job.

Obi-Wan mirrored the Kaminoan’s expression, looking just as displeased, if not more so. “Excellent. In that case, let’s discuss the custody of the younglings,” he said, once again gesturing to the frightened boys.

The Kaminoan stiffened and his frustration was strong in the Force. “Property rights, you mean,” he corrected. Clones were only products after all.

However, this did very little to disuade Obi-Wan. “Custody,” he repeated.

The Kaminoan closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. “Very well,” he said. “Follow me,”

\- - -

CT-7567 pressed closer to his brother, CT-2224. “Are we still being decommissioned?” he asked timidly, his voice wobbling as a few traitorous tears slid down his cheeks. They were alone now, surely there would be no harm in crying just a little bit.

‘24’s heart clenched and he reached out, wiping away his brother’s tears with his thumbs. “I don’t know,” he admitted. He wanted to offer more comfort to his _vod’ika_ , wanted desperately to assure him that, _no, it’s okay. We’re safe now. Nobody’s going to get decommed._ But the future was still so uncertain... he didn’t want to give ‘67 false hope.

“Cody? What’s the Jedi going to do with us?” the younger clone asked timidly.

‘24—Cody—bit his lip. “I... don’t know. And- and don’t use my name. Not here,” he whispered.

They’d been taken to a different, restricted area of the Kaminoan facility and left in the hallway while the Jedi and the Kaminoan discussed... _custody? Property rights?_ ‘24 wasn’t sure. Still, the Kaminoan was still far too close, and ‘24 wasn’t sure he felt comfortable using his name with the Kaminoan only on the other side of the door. The Long-Necks frowned on the use of individual names and the clones couldn’t usually get away with calling each other by their chosen names until they were older and closer to deployment.

As cadets, individuality was typically met with... repercussions.

“Sorry...” ‘67 whispered, ducking his head and ‘24 smiled softly, and ruffled his brother’s short, blonde hair.

It was then that the Kaminoan and the Jedi emerged from behind the door. Immediately, both cadets stood at attention and watched, with no small amount of shock, as the Kaminoan brushed pasted them without saying a word.

The Jedi, however, knelt down in front of them and smiled. “At ease, soldiers,” he said.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s happening? What’s going to be done with us?” ‘24 asked, resisting the urge to stand between the Jedi and his brother.

The Jedi, who had a sharp, crisp accent that neither cadet had ever heard before, bowed his head. “You will both be coming with me, back to the Jedi Temple, where you will be trained in the Force and taught the ways of the Jedi,” he explained.

Oh. Was that all?

Sith hells, ‘24 immediately felt overwhelmed by the idea of being a Jedi. Surely, that wasn’t actually a possibility, was it? Surely, it must all be some sort of trick?

“We’re going to be Jedi, sir?” ‘67 asked, his brown eyes wide in wonder.

“That’s the plan, cadet,” the Jedi said.

‘24 nodded slowly. Something about the whole situation felt wrong. They were only clones, weren’t they? Defective clones. Surely _they_ couldn’t be Jedi, could they? And what about their brothers, what would happen to them? Was it fair that their brothers had to fight and die in the war while they got to train to be Jedi?

‘24 couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to _be_ a Jedi. All his life, he’d been training to be a soldier, what if they never let him fight? What if he never got to fulfill his purpose?

What if this alienated him from his brothers?

‘24 was very careful to keep his thoughts to himself. This was, after all, a more merciful fate than being decommissioned.

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the Jedi said and held out each of his hands for the two young cadets. “What are your names?” he asked.

Once again, both cadets, obedient to the last, snapped to attention—backs straight, feet together, sharp salute.

“CT-2224, sir,” 24 chirped.

“CT-7567, reporting for duty, sir,” ‘67 echoed.

Obi-Wan regraded them with a bemused expression. “Forgive me, I must not have made myself clear. Your _names_ , cadets—if that’s alright with you. I’ve found my men usually prefer to go by their given nicknames and I can’t say I blame them. I’m terrible with numbers,”

Now it was ‘24’s turn to stare at the Jedi before them. Preferring names over numbers? They’d been told that the Jedi were detached above all else. To see this one regard them with such dignity, such humanity... it was a little strange. He preferred names over numbers! He wanted to know their _names!_ Q

“I’m called Rex, sir,” ‘67 said, taking Obi-Wan’s hand and shaking it.

That broke ‘24 out of his stupor.

“Cody, sir,” ‘24 said with a dutiful nod.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Obi-Wan straightened up, folded his arms into his absolutely _enormous_ sleeves and bowed, a customary Jedi greeting that was met with a crisp salute from both of the boys. _“_ Follow me. We’ve got a long ride back home,”

\- - -

Obi-Wan’s right hand, Marshal Commander Ponds, quirked an eyebrow when he saw the cadets. “New troops are looking a bit... younger than expected,” he commented, raising an eyebrow in question.

Obi-Wan smiled patiently, “There’s been a change of plans, commander,” he explained and Ponds had to resist the urge to sigh.

With General Kenobi, things never seemed to go according to plan.

“Yes, sir, I had assumed so. What are our new orders, General?” The commander’s eyes flickered over, briefly, to the two cadets, who looked like they were doing their best not to appear as star-struck as they must’ve felt, as held close to each other and gazed dazedly around the room.

“We’re taking them back to Coruscant, to the Temple,” Obi-Wan explained, crossing his hands behind his back and Ponds narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Coruscant, sir? What does the Jedi want with them?”

Ponds trusted the Jedi with his life. That was no secret. But more than that, he trusted his General, his _jetti_ , with the lives of his brothers—and that was something far more significant.

General Kenobi has proven, time and time again, that he valued the lives of his men just as much as he valued the lives of the nat-borns. He took the time to learn their names, he sat down with them and got to know know, joked with them, mourned with them. It was the greatest gift he could have ever given them, but still Ponds found himself worrying when he returned to the _Negotiator_ with two very young cadets.

What would the Jedi want want with _vode_ so small? Surely they wouldn’t dare send them into battle at such a young age?

“At ease, commander,” the General said and Ponds’ shook himself back into reality. Kenobi looked so... concerned? Immediately, Ponds began to wonder just how much of his internal monologue he’d accidentally bled into the Force.

No, no. But the General was kinder than that. He wouldn’t dare pry into Ponds’ mind without his permission.

“They... well...” Kenobi trailed off, narrowing his eyes and stroking his beard thoughtfully. It occurred to Ponds that perhaps the General didn’t _actually_ have a plan at all.

_Skywalker had to get it from somewhere, after all._

“To put it bluntly, I wish to speak to the council about having them trained as Jedi,” Kenobi explained, as if he were describing something as casual as his dinner plans.

If Commander Ponds had been drinking caf, it would’ve shot out of his nose like water at a broken fire hydrant. “Sir?” he asked weakly, incredulously because _for kriff’s sake, was he serious?_

Kenobi didn’t seem to notice the very obvious look of _panic_ and abject _confusion_ marring his commander’s face, because he just kept plowing right along, dropping bombshell after bombshell.

“You’ve spoken with me before about mutations that work their way into the genes during cloning, but I wasn’t aware that Force-Sensitivity was one such mutation,” Kenobi tone was halfway between accusatory and ‘thoughtful ramblings of a wise, old man playing chess’.

If Ponds had been drinking caf, it would’ve come shooting out of his nose like water at a broken fire hydrant, and in his haste to maintain composure, he would’ve accidentally inhaled his own spit and choked.

“Y-you didn’t know?” Ponds asked, so startled by this suddenly revelation, that he nearly forgot his manners and tacked on a hasty, “Sir?” to the end.

The Jedi didn’t know? While uncommon, Force sensitivity wasn’t exactly a _rare_ mutation—not like having blonde hair or green eyes or an accidental extra pinkie finger. However, it was a severe enough mutation that it resulted in immediate decommissioning. Not reconditioning, _decommissioning_. That was the harshest punishment there was. Force knew how the Long-Necks loathed destroying a product if they could help it.

Everybody knew somebody who’d been decommissioned for Force sensitivity. The rule was, ‘if you see something, say something’. But most of the time, if a brother saw something, they kept it to themselves.

Everybody knew somebody who was Force-sensitive. It was a well guarded secret among the Clones—even now, Ponds knew _vode_ in the 212th who could touch the Force.

Ponds trusted his General with a lot of things... but this wasn’t one of them.

Growing up, the assumption had always been that the Jedi had _specifically ordered_ them without Force sensitivity, that the Kaminoans had been _requested_ to discontinue the life of any clone who showed such a symptom.

But to hear that High General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council had _no idea_ that Force-sensitive clones were even a possibility?

It rocked Ponds’ world to its very core.

“Further more, this practice of _euthanasia_ is utterly barbaric,” Now, Kenobi was venturing dangerously close to “tirade-mode”, something he usually only did when General Skywalker did something particularly idiotic. “The Council must be aware of this immediately—it is a vile practice that we certainly cannot allow to continue,”

Ponds couldn’t do anything more than blink owlishly at his General. “You didn’t know about that either?”

And thank _God_ that Ponds hadn’t been drinking caf, because he _had_ been drinking caf, he would’ve popped off the lid and dumped it on his own face, hoping that the burning pain would be enough to wake him up from whatever fever dream he’d been having.

General Kenobi stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the Commander for a moment. “Ponds... Surely you must know by now that we Jedi are not so cold-hearted?” he asked, a rare sincerity sparkling in his bright, blue eyes.

“Yes, sir. Of course sir,” Ponds stammered, blinking wildly.

Kenobi regraded him with an expression that he couldn’t quite place. Then, slowly the General nodded, as if still disbelieving. “Good,” he said. “Now... shall I leave you to show our guests around while I contact the council?” he asked, gesturing to the two young cadets, who still stood near the door, taking everything in.

Ponds merely smirked. “How about I go find Waxer and Boil, sir? This job seems right up their ally,”

Kenobi nodded and, though he looked innocent enough, Ponds could see the mischief in his eyes. “You couldn’t be more right, commander,”

\- - -

Mace pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed in frustration. “You’re starting to remind me of your master more and more everyday,”

In the center of the Council room, Obi-Wan’s hologram looked almost smug. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or offended, Mace,” he said, almost jovially.

Ki-Adi Mundi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I must agree with Mace on this, Master Kenobi. The boys are too old to be trained,”

“Rex and Cody are four and five-years-old respectively. It is at the upper end of the age-limit, I will agree, but certainly not past it. Even now, there are many younglings in the crèche and padawans in the field who were brought in at four, five, or even six-years-old,”

Plo Koon laughed, tipping his head back and squeezing the armrests of his chair. “You must admit, masters, it’s a clever loophole master Kenobi has found,” he praised.

Master Yoda shook his head. “Correct, Master Mundi is. Too old for the crèche, both boys are,”

Obi-Wan was relatively unfazed by the Master’s decision; there was a loophole around this, too—he had seen his own master opt for it before. “Then I take Rex and Cody as my padawan learns,” he said casually, completely aware of the rules he was asking the council to break. “It is my right as a Jedi Master to take on the padawan of my choosing—a right which was taken from me when the Council went over my head, and decided to place Padawan Tano with Knight Skywalker,”

“This conversation feels all too familiar...” Mace huffed, shaking. His head.

“Have two padawans, you may not. This rule, understand better than most, you should,” Yoda chastised.

_I take Anakin Skywalker as my padawan learner._

_An apprentice you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible it is to take on a second._

It was a ruthless jab—prodding at such old wounds. But the past was behind them and Obi-Wan’s Master had long since been forgiven.

“Master Yoda, forgive my forward speaking, but your own master trained two padawans at once—you and another,” Kenobi tucked his hands into his sleeves, hoping to disguise the nervousness he felt.

Yoda shook his head. “Correct, you are. Different then, times were,”

“And they are different now,” Shaak Ti interrupted. “If everything Master Kenobi has said is true, then we cannot ignore the plight of these boys. If we do not accept them, what will be done with them? Will we send them back to Kamino to be slaughtered?” the togruta asked and, though her voice was soft, it was measured and deliberate.

Having spent the last several months serving on Kamino, overseeing the training of the clones, Obi-Wan knew it must’ve hurt Shaak Ti deeply to learn of such atrocities.

“I must agree with Master Ti,” Master Bilaba said, her hologram flickering. “There is more at stake than the traditions of the Jedi. This is an opportunity to show the Republic that the clones are equal to the Jedi. It may be a step towards securing their rights as citizens of the Republic. This is an opportunity we cannot pass up,”

“I’m certain master Bilaba is correct, certainly, but the fact remains, Obi-Wan, than you cannot have two padawans,” Master Mundi urged, clasping his hands together.

“I believe it may be our best course of action,” Plo argued. “It would be, perhaps, unwise to separate the boys at this time. Brotherhood is everything to them. We must be cautious of this,”

“So what are you suggesting?” Mace asked, his voice clipped.

“We allow Master Kenobi to train the boys together, for the time being. He is the most familiar of all of us with... unorthodox apprenticeships. If anyone should be able to accomplish this, it would be Master Kenobi,”

Master Yoda closed his eyes, one clawed hand tightening around his gimer stick as he reached out into the Force.

“Acceptable, this proposal is. Temporary, this will be. For now, both boys Obi-Wan will train,”

Obi-Wan bowed his head. “Thank you, masters. I will inform the boys at once,”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your support, I’m absolutely blown away by how wonderful you all are! Please keep at it with your suggestions, I’m still trying to figure out where I want this story to go

“It was _one_ kid, _one_ time,” Boil huffed grumpily, under his breath. “It wasn’t even my idea, it was _yours_. Why do they keep lumping me in with you and your bad choices? I don’t even _like_ you,”

Waxer made a show of rolling his eyes. “That’s a lie, an absolute lie. I’m your favorite brother and you know it,” he whispered back, his expression nothing short of smug as he steered Cody and Rex into the big mess hall.

“This is the mess. Are either of you hungry? We can stop and get a snack if you want. Or, if you’re tired, we can stop by the barracks and you can pick out somewhere to sleep?” Waxer suggested in a tone that was just a little too _kind and gentle_ for Boil, who had to resist the urge to gag.

“Your head’s full of fluff, _vod_ ,” he grumbled. “They’re not that young, no need to talk to them like they’re babies,” he hissed. Then, raising his voice to let the squirming little shinies hear him properly, he added, “As far as food goes, don’t go getting your hopes up. The food’s shit,”

That earned him a rather rude smack upside the head, courtesy of Waxer.

“Language, _vod!”_ Waxer snapped and both clones missed the way the cadets recoiled.

“Sorry, the food is _bad_ ,” Boil corrected himself with an egregious eye roll.

“Thank you,” Waxer said emphatically, and Boil took a moment to acknowledge that, yes, while Waxer was, in fact, his favorite _vod,_ he was walking a very fine line and was one misstep away from forcing Boil to rearrange his list of favorite brothers, with Waxer solidly at the bottom.

“So then, how does a snack sound? I promise it’s no worse than the kibble they gave us on Kamino,” Waxer offered once more, clapping his hands together like some kind of kindergarten teacher and Boil rolled his eyes again.

Cody clasped his hands in front him. “That’s alright, we’re not to hungry,” he said hastily.

Rex’s head lifted and he frowned, his eyebrows drawing together in concern. “No, wait, _ori’vod,_ I’m a little hungry,” he admitted, whispering, and Cody chewed on his lip.

“How bad?” Cody whispered, and, much to Boil’s befuddlement, Rex held up seven fingers. Cody nodded and sighed, acquiescing.

“Rex is a little hungry,” he said softly and Boil found himself wondering, for the thousandth time, why the hell the cadets were even _there_ , and why Cody was so damn skittish. Kamino had been hell, sure, but it hadn’t been that bad, right?

“Yeah, we can get you a snack. Waxer, the kid wants a snack, go get him a snack,” Boil said.

Waxer, the higher ranking of the two, narrowed his eyes. “Me? Why don’t you go get-“

“Waxer, _go,”_ Boil insisted, and Waxer, frustrated, tossed his arms into the air before disappearing off into the mess. He returned not long afterwards, and tossed Rex a ration bar, which Rex gratefully accepted and viciously tore into.

“Alright, then! Next stop on the tour, the barracks!” Waxer exclaimed and Boil very much considered strangling his brother.

“Boil, sir, are you and Waxer batchmates?” Cody asked softly and Boil nodded.

“What gave it away?” Boil grumbled and felt his heart swell (not that he’d ever admit it) when Cody offered a little smile.

“You don’t seem to like him very much,” Cody observed and _winked_ (though he ducked his head afterwords), and Boil was so taken aback that he nearly forgot to respond.

“Nah, I hate him,” Boil said, smiling just a little, and winked back. Cody’s smile broadened just a little.

“Is it nice?” Cody asked, tugging his sleeves down. “Having batchmates, I mean,” He was speaking just loudly enough for Boil to hear, but not loudly enough to be heard by Rex and Waxer, who were walking a few paces ahead. Distantly, Boil wondered if that was intentional.

“You don’t have any batchmates?” Boil asked, incredulously, because _what the kriff?_

Cody shrugged listlessly. “I still have them, nothing happened to them or anything. We just got... demoted. _I_ got demoted. Rex didn’t- Anyways, there was a command class I didn’t pass and so they...,” Cody trailed off, disheartened.

“Demoted you?” Boil asked and Cody nodded, listlessly.

“I haven’t seen my batchmates in a long time,”

Boil’s heart twisted, just a little. “I’m sorry kid. That sucks. I don’t know what I’d do without my batchmates,” he said, and he must’ve spoken just a bit too loudly because Cody ducked his head and cringed.

“Not so loud! I don’t want...” Cody trailed off once more, his eyes flickered back and forth until they finally settled on Rex, Boil had no problem finishing the statement.

“You don’t want Rex to hear you?” he asked and Cody nodded.

“He doesn’t like it when I talk about batchmates. It makes him uncomfortable,”

Karking hells, these cadets were a real pair of oddities, weren’t they?

“And why’s that?” Boil whispered.

Cody hesitated, shifting from foot to foot as he mulled the answer around in his head. “He got... in trouble. They... about eight months ago, they reconditioned him and his whole batch. The others didn’t... they make it. Rex doesn’t remember most of it,”

Boil’s veins flooded with ice. Reconditioning was always a touch-and-go process. While slightly less risky for older clone, in cadets the mortality rate was high. Back on Kamino, he’d known cadets who’d been reconditioned, but he’d never heard of a whole batch being reconditioned all at once before.

“The whole batch?” Boil asked, almost in disbelief and Cody nodded.

“The _kaminii_ didn’t like them very much. They all had blonde hair and, y’know, when you’re different they get real nit-picky about behavior and test scores. Rex’s attitude wasn’t even that _bad_ before they... you know. Sure, he got a little snippy sometimes if he didn’t eat enough, but that was it! I dunno why they did it, he wasn’t even that _bad_ ,” Cody mourned.

Blonde hair and an extra fast metabolism was more than enough reason to cast suspicion on Kamino. If nothing else, it explained why Rex held up his fingers when Cody asked how hungry he was—they’d probably developed a good system to make sure Rex never got too hungry, without alerting the Kaminoans that something was amiss.

“That... sucks,” Boil said lamely and Cody merely shrugged.

The conversation dropped when Rex split away from Waxer’s side and went trotting back over to Cody.

“Did you know that General Kenobi allows _contraband?”_ the little blonde clone asked, utterly delighted as he showed Cody the candy bar that Waxer had given to him.

Immediately, Boil scowled. “ _Vod!_ Did you give the little nerf herder my candy bar?”

Waxer spun around, deeply offended by the audacity of the accusation. “You gave it to me!” he protested.

“I gave it to you to hold onto until I had a chance to eat it!” Boil spat.

Pressing himself against Cody, Rex timidly attempted to return the candy bar. “I’m sorry... you can have it back...”

As if Boil would ever deprive the kid of his first ever candy bar. No way in hell! He turned to the cadet, all of the tension dropping out of his body, and assured him, rather gently, “No, no. You can keep it, it’s all yours. That’s not what this is about,”

“What’s it about?” Cody asked, smiling just a little bit because he knew it was just another batchmate feud.

“It’s about honor,” Boil said firmly.

“I have honor!” Waxer cried, but Boil wasn’t having it.

“You are honorless!”

“I thought you gave it to me for keeps!”

Boil tossed his hands in the air and sputtered. “Waxer, when have I _ever_ given you _anything_ for keeps? I’m a heartless bastard, I’m not capable of that kind of compassion!”

Waxer, who has clearly reached his breaking-point, sighed dramatically. “Alright, fine! Fine. You can have mine,” he groused, rifling through his pack until he came across his own candy bar, which he tossed to Boil.

Boil, beaming brilliantly as they arrived at the barracks, put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Keep this in mind, kid: if you yell at somebody long enough, they’ll give you a gift,” Then, he passed the candy bar over to Cody, much to Waxer’s surprise, and ruffled his hair.

“You little shit!” Waxer cried, once he realized what Boil had done. Boil merely continued to smile.

“Language, _vod_ ,”

Commander Ponds came to collect the boys and brought them to General Kenobi’s quarters not long after they’d selected their bunks and settled down. Cody liked Commander Ponds. Maybe not as much as he liked Waxer and Boil (he didn’t really know Ponds all that well) but he still got the feeling that Ponds was a good man. He had a bright light was around him that Cody couldn’t quite explain.

“Don’t worry,” Ponds assured with a smile. “The General’s a good man, it’ll be okay,” He ruffled Cody’s hair as Rex stepped a little closer and Cody, in turn, tossed an arm over his brother’s shoulders.

“Thank you, sir,” Cody said and saluted sharply, which earned him another kind smile from Ponds before the commander turned away and left the two young cadets alone, standing aimlessly in front of General Kenobi’s door.

Cody would’ve been lying if he said he wasn’t a little intimidated. Truth be told, he was a _lot_ intimidated. It had already been such an emotionally exhausting day, Cody just wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep. Nevertheless, General Kenobi wanted to see them.

“We should hurry,” Rex urged, bitting his lip and Cody sighed and nodded.

“Yeah... you’re right, _vod._ Let’s hurry up and get this over with,”

Standing on his toes, Cody reached up to press the door chime and the door _wooshed_ open. Once again, General Kenobi bowed and both boys responded with the appropriate salute.

“Rex, Cody, it’s good to see you both again,” Kenobi said, just as kind and gentle as he had been on Kamino. It was such a foreign thing, Cody almost didn’t trust it.

“You wanted to see us, sir?” Rex asked, breaking Cody from his stupor.

The General smiled and gestured to a low table in the middle of the room. “Come in, please. Would you care to join me for tea?”

Cody blinked owlishly. “Tea?” he echoed in utter disbelief because why was the Jedi being so kind to them? Why did he care? The Kaminoans has always said that the Jedi were detached—unfeeling and uncaring. And despite what many of the older _vode_ said in protest, the Kaminoans had never outright lied to them before so... what was the point of all this?

Immediately Cody’s heart rate picked up and his palms got all sweaty. Was this a test? He wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was for this sort of situation. The General had already been so kind to them—he’d saved their lives after all. _(Why had he done that?)_ He’d mentioned something about being trained as a Jedi, but surely that had been a joke, right? They couldn’t be Jedi, they were just clones.

(Well, that wasn’t totally true. _Rex_ could probably be a Jedi. Rex could do anything. Cody was so very proud of his _vod’ika_. If any clone would ever be a Jedi, surely it was him.)

A feeling of calm and warmth suddenly washed Cody, spilling in from the edges of his mind.

_Peace, young one._ The warmth said. _  
_

Wide-eyed, Cody stared at Kenobi—who’d just used the Force on him; who used _the Force_ to _comfort_ him—and the Jedi merely smiled gently and beckoned the clones over.

What an absolutely wizard thing!

Slowly, haltingly, Cody obeyed and sat down on one of the little cushions, crossing his legs beneath the table. The whole room was warm and smelled of sharp cinnamon and bitter tea leaves.

“Have either of you ever had tea before?” Kenobi asked and both boys shook their heads.

“No, sir. I’m afraid not,” Cody ventured, trying not to sound as timid and overwhelmed as he felt.

Kenobi merely nodded. “Ah, I figured as much. I tried to pick something mild for you, but feel free to add as much sugar as you’d like, if it’s too bitter for you,”

“Bitter?” Rex asked, scrunching up his face in confusion, as if trying to access any memories he might’ve formed in association to that word. Being so young, Rex’s exposure to foods and flavors was rather... limited. The nutrient-dense dry-food they were fed on Kamino lacked flavor and never changed from day to day.

“Oh!” Rex’s face lit up in remembrance. “Like that time Becker let me have a sip of the wine he’d smuggled in and it tasted like the fuel we use for the- Hey!” he howled sharply, doubling over when Cody’s foot suddenly connected with his shin.

Then, Rex’s dark eyes widened, having realized his mistake. “Uh... I mean... bitter is fine, sir,” he said quickly (much to Obi-Wan’s great amusement) and took a quick sip of his tea, only to recoil violently when the bitter liquid hit his tongue.

Chuckling, General Kenobi pushed a bowl of sugar cubes towards the young of the two boys. “This will help,” he urged. “It’s sugar. It’ll make it sweeter,”

Rex bowed his head in thanks, the tips of his ears turning a deep shade of crimson. Carefully, he reached out and grabbed one of sugar cubes, but instead of slipping it into his drink, he popped it right into his mouth. His whole face lit up in delight at the taste and he turned to his brother and whispered urgently, “Try one!”

So, Cody did. And he liked it. He liked it a lot. He’d never had anything quite like it before, and it was delicious! However, realizing that he was wasting time, he straightened up and snapped to attention.

“You wanted to see us, sir?” he mumbled around the dissolving sugar cube in his mouth. He elbowed Rex in the ribs, just subtly, and Rex got the message and straightened up as well.

“I wanted to ask how you both were doing,” the General began. “It’s been a rather eventful day and I wanted to make sure that you both were alright,”

Cody froze up and, for a moment, his mind reeled. He couldn’t stop it from back-tracking to the events leading up to their decommissioning: His squad had been practicing hand-to-hand combat and, when one of their trainers had gotten a little to rough with Cody, Rex had panicked and lashed out with the Force, sending the trainer flying backwards. And that was that. The rest was history.

Even now, there was ice in Cody’s veins as he remember how they’d taken his brother away from him. So, he’d lashed out too, if only to show off his powers, if only so that Rex didn’t have to die alone.

“-lright? Cody?” the General’s voice came filtering through his thoughts like a blessed lifeline. There was a heavy hand on his shoulder and Cody slowly lifted his head.

“I-I-I... apologize, sir. We’re alright,”

Even now, his heart was pounding.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, but something pained flashed in his eyes. “You and your brother went through something terrible today. You don’t have to be okay right now,”

Cody averted his eyes, his fingers digging into his knees.

“I’m fine, sir,” he whispered, not trusting his voice.

Obi-Wan nodded and seemed to get the message, pulling backwards and letting his own hands rest comfortable in his lap.

“I’ve spoken with the Jedi Council. Cody, Rex, on behalf of the Jedi Order, I offer you—both of you—my sincerest apologies. We had no idea Force-Sensitivity was a possibility in clones. If we had... we certainly wouldn’t have allowed either of you to suffer the way you have,” Obi-Wan began, his expression full of a regret that Cody couldn’t quite comprehend. “We were also unaware that euthanasia is a practice actively being upheld on Kamino and please rest assured that we won’t allow it to continue,”

If one fell swoop, everything Cody thought he knew about the Jedi went right out the window.

He stared, entirely baffled, as Obi-Wan spoke, hardly able to wrap his mind around the situation. “We’re not going to die?” he asked, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

“No, Cody. Nobody’s going to die,” Obi-Wan assured, extending a hand to the boy and Cody, so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of _compassion_ radiating off of the man, couldn’t resist taking his hand.

_Yes. This is right_. Somebody whispered, and maybe it was the Force? Cody didn’t know. _  
_

“Then what’s going to happen to us, General?” Rex asked, anxiously gripping a second sugar cube in his hand.

At this, the General straightened, a (proud?) smile falling easily across his features. “Rex, you and your brother have a very special gift. Most younglings born with your gift are taken to the Temple and trained in the ways of the Force,” he explained. “I would like take both of you on as my Padawan Learners and teach you both the ways of the Force,”

The air was charged with an energy that Cody had never felt before. There was a lightness, an excitement that he couldn’t quite explain. It felt almost like dejavú, as if Cody had seen this all before in a forbidden, forgotten dream.

“Padawan?” Rex echoed, his face scrunched up in confusion.

“A Jedi Apprentice. _My_ Jedi Apprentices. I would train you,” Obi-Wan explained and there was an air of pride around him that made Cody smile.

“We would be Jedi?”Rex asked, so utterly gobsmacked that he couldn’t seem to comprehend anything that the Jedi Master was saying.

General Kenobi nodded. “You would. Do you accept me as your master, Rex?” he asked, extending a hand to the younger of the two clones.

Rex, of course, wasted no time in reaching out and accepting the hand that was offered, with his own, sticky hand. “Yessir!” he exclaimed and saluted with his freehand (though the crispness of the salute was lost, due to the sugar cube still firmly in the child’s grasp.)

“And you, Cody?” Obi-Wan asked, squeezing the dark-haired boy’s hand.

Cody hesitated only for a second before nodding vigorously. “Yessir!”

And Obi-Wan beamed, his pride for his new boys leeching out into the Force so tangibly, that even Cody could feel it.

“Then it is settled, my padawans,”

It was just past 0900 hours when the _Negotiator_ arrived at Coruscant. Obi-Wan stood with his arms tucked into his sleeves as their little transport ship docked. Cody and Rex, meanwhile, stood at parade rest in the back of the ship, near the windows so they could see the city below them.

“There are so many people!” Obi-Wan heard Rex whisper to his brother.

The second Obi-Wan stepped off the ship, he was greeted by a shrill, “ _MASTER!”_ as Ahsoka came barreling down the landing platform and practically hurtled herself into her grandmaster’s arms.

Obi-Wan stumbled backwards and gently patted the Togruta’s back, caught somewhere between fondness and annoyance. “It is good to see you too, Padawan,”

Ahsoka pulled away, abruptly, practically vibrating with excitement. “Where are they?” she asked and Obi-Wan ducked his head.

“Where are who?” he asked, quirking a brow in amusement, trying to hide his surprise.

_Word travels fast, I suppose._

Ahsoka groaned dramatically. “Master, _please_ ,” she said and Obi-Wan had to resist the urge to tut over her impatience. “Barriss told me that Master Unduli told her that Master Plo says that you have _two_ new padawans and they’re _clones._ And I want to meet them!”

Ah. That explained it.

“Master Plo was never very good at keeping secrets, was he?” Obi-Wan relented with a melodramatic huff.

“So it’s true?” Ahsoka asked, her blue eyes wide.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak (and offer a brief explanation for what likely seemed like an absolutely ludicrous situation) but he was interrupted when a voice suddenly called out:

“ _Snips!_ Where did you- Master!” Anakin exclaimed as he rounded the corner followed in hot pursuit by an irritated looked Commander Fox.

Obi-Wan could already feel a headache coming on. He had the funniest feeling that this conversation wasn’t going to go as planned.

“Master, I was _right!”_ Ahsoka exclaimed, bounding up to Anakin like an excited puppy dog.

“Captain Tano, if you could please do us all a favor and try to _refrain_ from running off until after the debriefing is finished, I would very much appreciate it,” Fox grouched, tucking his helmet safely beneath his arm.

“Sorry Fox,” Ahsoka at least had the decency to dip her head and smiled sheepishly.

“So, it’s true? You actually took on a padawan?” Anakin asked incredulously and Obi-Wan lifted his arms in a manner that he hoped was placating.

“If you will allow me to explain...” he began but Anakin was quick to cut him off.

“Force, Obi-Wan! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! Why didn’t you tell me?” Anakin demanded.

“Anakin, _please._ It a last minute decision, it was hardly my intention to take on a padawan when I arrived on Kamino!” he protested.

“Well, you could’ve at least found some time to tell me instead of leaving me to find out from some offhanded gossip courtesy of my padawan,” Anakin grumbled.

“Anakin, it wasn’t my intention not to tell you, and I am regretful that you had to find out this way. But you must understand that there wasn’t time to notify you. It’s hardly been twelve hours since I’ve taken them on,” he chided and Anakin’s eyes widened.

“Them? There really two of them?”

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anakin, please, I can explain...” he began as Commander Ponds lead Cody and Rex off of the shuttle and guided them back towards their new master.

“Skyguy, I _told_ you!” Ahsoka exclaimed, looking positively gleeful as she crossed towards the two little clones and shook their hands. “Look at you! My name’s Ahsoka Tano, and I’m a padawan, too. Master Kenobi is actually my grandmaster, so that makes me your-“ She froze, suddenly, and Obi-Wan suspected it had something to do with the fact that she actually had no idea what she was in relation to her grand-master’s new padawans. “... your sister, I guess?” she offered, looking wildly back at Vaughn for assistance, but Vaughn merely shrugged, looking just as helpless.

“Pleasure for meet you, sir. I’m CT-22... er, Cody, I’m Cody,” the older boy stumbled.

Rex, however, had no problem introducing himself. “I’m Rex, sir!” he exclaimed with a little smirk, and Obi-Wan suspected that the boy had already taken a shine to the Togruta. “You look like General Ti. Are you her _vod?_ I only ever met her once, but I liked her. She seemed nice,” he said and Ahsoka laughed, but Obi-Wan turned away before he could hear her response.

“Can you do that? Take them as your padawans? Is it allowed?” Anakin asked, crossing his arms, and Obi-Wan could feel his jealous in the Force and he actively had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

They had discussed the possibility of Obi-Wan taking on another padawan many times in the past. After all, Ahsoka was originally meant to be Obi-Wan’s padawan, not Anakin’s. So why were things different now? Force only knew. How Anakin had such a capacity for kindness and compassion and, at the same time, had such a capacity for childish cruelty, it was beyond him.

“They have the Force,” Obi-Wan said simply, reaching up to stroke his beard. “I spoke with the council and they allowed it,”

At that, Anakin scowled and Obi-Wan supposed he couldn’t blame him, it must’ve seemed terribly unfair that the Council would so readily accept the clones where they had so vehemently rejected Anakin, all those years ago.

“Anakin, be at peace. You must understand that their lives were on the line—they would have been euthanized. Please, let’s not have this discussion now. We can talk about this later but now is not the time,”

Everything in Anakin’s body language remained tense but, much to Obi-Wan’s relief, he didn’t press the subject further.

“When are you taking your oaths?” Anakin asked instead.

“Tonight. Would you and Ahsoka like to come?” came Obi-Wan’s response and Anakin narrowed his eyes, suddenly surprised.

“You really want us there?” he asked and Obi-Wan smiled.

“I’m not replacing you, Anakin,”

Anakin’s eyes narrowed once more. “I never said you were,”

Obi-Wan sighed. “I do want you both to be there- as long as you promise to be on your best behavior,” Obi-Wan warned and Anakin finally, finally relaxed.

“I’ll _try_ to reign in Ahsoka, no promises though,” he offered with a little smile.

Obi-Wan merely rolled his eyes.

“I am happy for you,” Anakin said, tucking his hands into his sleeves. “They seem like decent young men. They’re going to make wonderful padawans,”

“Yes, they have potential. They’re very bright in the Force. I can only hope they prove to be more obedient than you were,” Obi-Wan said casually, innocently.

“I’m certain I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Anakin laughed and put a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Now then. Why don’t you introduce me to your new padawans?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on a side note, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Rako Hardeen arc and how Cody and Rex are going to respond to that.
> 
> The Zyggeria arc is also going to be a rough one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tuesday night, I rewrote a good portion of chapter two so I'd recommend going back and rereading it, it might be different now that it was before. 
> 
> Also, thank you so, so much for your wonderful support, I'm so blown away by it. I love reading your comments! You're all just the actual best!

Commander Ponds was leaning against a wall and sipping a cup of caf, idly watching as Cody and Rex—wedged contentedly between Boil and Waxer—ate their first ever meal in the Temple mess, when he began to notice something… off about his General, who had distance himself from his troops while he ate. Kenobi was a particularly difficult man to read, but Ponds had known him long enough that something was upsetting him. His usually rigid posture was bent and folded, his shoulders heavy under the millstone weight of something indecipherable. His hands, hidden in the enormous sleeves of his cloak, were tucked beneath his chin, and, for a moment, the heavy brown cloth seemed to engulf him—like a child wrapped up in a blanket.

It was official. Cody and Rex were to be trained as Jedi. Ponds felt a surge of pride at the thought of his new _ad’ikas_ wielding lightsabers and mastering the ways of the Force. But along with pride, there was something hollow and empty that swept through the commander like the roof-stripping winds of a maelstrom. He couldn’t help but wonder what this would mean from him and his brothers. Would this help to bolster the public’s the clones? Would this earn them citizenship in the Republic? Would they finally receive their basic human rights, all because Kenobi couldn’t stand to see two crying kids?

Or would this only serve to tear them all apart— _vode_ enslaved beneath _vode_ because some of their brothers just happened to be _wizards_?

Not for the first time, Ponds wondered what the hell Kenobi had been thinking.

_He hadn’t been thinking. He never thinks—Skywalker had to get it from somewhere, after all._

However, seeing him like this, all wrapped up with his cloak pulled tight (again, the image that came to mind was of a young child with a security blanket) Ponds couldn’t help but wonder _how_ Obi-Wan was going to continue to run the war, whilst simultaneously raising two young boys and training them in an order they knew nothing about.

No wonder Obi-Wan looked so anxious.

Ponds moved away from the wall and quietly sat beside his General, setting his bucket down beside him on the bench. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes, ancient and far away, suddenly snapped back to focus and he jumped, as if just suddenly realizing that Ponds was there. “Commander! I didn’t see you. I thought you’d left with Anakin and Ahsoka,” he said, and straightened up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his tunic as if trying to make himself more presentable. “Ah... of course, commander. You know I value your insight,”

“You look like shit, sir,” Ponds said, smiling sympathetically. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Obi-Wan shrunk away, bowing his head sheepishly. “I’m almost hesitant to tell you. Are you going to sic Helix on me if I admit the truth?”

Ponds smiled wryly. “I might,”

“I _rested_ ,” Obi-Wan said, waving his hand non-committally.

“I asked if you _slept._ There’s a difference and you know it. Meditation and sleep are not the same thing. I know you’re busy—little gods, believe me, I know. But you need to find time to sleep, General,” There was an unspoken weight that hung in the air.

_The lives of my brothers depend on you._

Obi-Wan’s eyes slid closed and his expression crumpled. For one horrifying moment, Ponds watched as his General seemed to age a thousand years.

“I couldn’t sleep,”

The admission was so soft that Ponds almost didn’t hear it.

“Nightmares?” the commander asked, matching the General’s hushed volume. Very rarely did they ever discuss personal matters, but the subject had come up on several different occasions. Before the war, Ponds never would’ve imagined he’d feel comfortable discussing fears or nightmares with somebody other than his batchmates. However, Obi-Wan was a gentle soul and had proven to be a very reliable confidant.

“No, just a lot on my mind,” Obi-Wan assured, and Ponds remained silent. Obi-Wan, picking up on the cue, turned to face the clone more fully. “Commander, may I have a word?”

“Of course, sir, is something wrong?” the commander asked.

It was even rarer for Obi-Wan to open up about his personal feelings. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ponds knew that he’d done more than enough to earn his General’s trust when it came to more emotional matters. However, he couldn’t dissuade the anxiety that lay heavy in his stomach. He knew what was occupying the General’s mind—it was the same thing that had rendered Ponds himself to lay on his bed, tossing and turning and utterly sleepless for the duration of the night.

Could they really train two clones to be Jedi? Was it even possible? What if it wasn’t? What would it mean for the clone is Rex and Cody failed?

Ponds swallowed thickly. His relationship with Obi-Wan had been meticulously built on a foundation of trust, a foundation of truth. He had no intention of lying to his superior (he was an absolutely rubbish liar anyways) but if Kenobi asked about his personal feelings on the matter, what would he say?

“No, no, my dear commander,” the General assured with an anxious little half-smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I wanted to let you know that I will be swearing my oath with Rex and Cody tonight, and I wanted to know if you would like to be there?” he asked, much to Ponds’ great surprise, and the clone couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

The sneaky bastard was trying to change the subject!

Ponds wouldn’t admit that he was a little relieved.

Keneobi was generally a private person. He was also fiercely independent and, while sociable, Ponds would almost go as far as to call him introverted. He preferred to do things by himself, where possible, and often spent his free time alone, holed up in his quarters with a good holo-novel to read.

However, that wasn’t to say that he and Ponds didn’t often spend time together—they often spent quiet evenings together, doing paperwork in Kenobi’s quarters, and Ponds had been Kenobi’s plus-one to more than his fair share of negotiations and fancy political events. However, this was more than just some sumptuous senate dinner—this was a very important Jedi ritual.

Why should Obi-Wan want Ponds to attend?

“Sir?” Ponds asked, disbelievingly and watched, with some distress, as Obi-Wan recoiled.

“Of course, you’re not required to attend. I… only thought that, perhaps, you might enjoy it,” Obi-Wan said, dipping his head, as if to make an apology for assuming something that was painfully untrue.

“Please don’t mistake, I would be honored, sir,” Ponds corrected quickly, taken aback by how unsure his General seemed. “But may I ask where all this is coming from?”

Obi-Wan stared at his commander for a moment, regarding him, blue eyes flickering back and forth as if searching his commander’s face for sincerity. “Ponds… you are my friend,” he began. He spoke slowly, haltingly, as if his throat was raw or the words were traitorous. “It is… An important ceremony for a master and a padawan— _padawans_ in this case—but it would make me very happy if you were there,”

Ponds frowned and, for a moment, couldn’t think of what to say. He and the General were friends, make no mistake. So why did Kenobi sound as if he was trying to convince them both of them of this fact?

“…I would be honored, sir,” he asked, when the words came to him at last.

In terms of facial expressions, Ponds was not the most discreet. Luckily, he wasn’t as bad as Bly, who wore his heart on his sleeve and displayed his emotions on his face like a bad Shakespearean actor, but he had a tendency to screw his face up whenever he was deep in thought. Again, it wasn’t as bad as Wolffe’s Resting Bitch Face (which could kill a man), but it did make Ponds look as if he was actively smelling something repulsive, like rotting mean or Wooley’s cooking.

Which would explain why Obi-Wan recoiled once more and Ponds found himself wincing.

“Have I ever showed you the Room of a Thousand Fountains?” Obi-Wan asked instead, and Ponds made a mental note to circle back to their original conversation.

Determined not to ruin anything this time around, he shook his head and straightened up. “You haven’t, sir,”

“Ah. Well, I’ll be taking Rex and Cody there to teach them to meditate. You’re more than welcome to come. I’d be happy to teach you as well,”

Ponds blinked owlishly, once again at a complete loss for words.

“General, with all due respect, I appreciate the offer, but I think that would be unwise,” Ponds said, fully prepared to elaborate: while he wasn’t very well versed in the ways of the Jedi, he knew that meditating was something sacred to the Jedi, so much so that it almost felt wrong to participate in it. What’s more, he felt that perhaps the time would be better spent devoted solely to Cody and Rex—they were his padawans, after all.

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan interrupted him before he could get the chance to speak.

“Ah, I see. Ponds… do you consider us friends?”

Little gods, it felt like somebody had swung a bat against Ponds’ head.

“Of course, sir,” he said, sputtering,

Carefully, Obi-Wan clasped his hands behind his back. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation yesterday and I fear that, perhaps, you might not understand how deeply we—the Jedi… how deeply _I_ care for you and your brothers,”

“General-“ Ponds began, but Obi-Wan held up his hands, a pleading gesture, and Ponds held his tongue.

“I am… more than a little distressed when I think of how we Jedi must appear to you and your brothers. If, for so long, you have all believed that we condone the practice of _euthanasia_ as a viable means of punishment…” Obi-Wan trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes screwing shut as if to stave off a headache or the prickling sensation of tears. “We must seem like a truly barbarous people,”

Ponds sat ramrod straight, every cell in his body at attention, ready and waiting and screaming to _fix this_. “No, sir. Of course not! General, you’re a good man. I never believed for a second that you would have any of us send away to be decommed,”

Obi-Wan knit his brows together and, once again, searched Ponds’ face for something intangible, something forgiving. “But you believed a Jedi to capable of that, of sending somebody away to be slaughtered? Do we treat so poorly?”

If there was anything accusatory in Obi-Wan’s tone, it was directed only at himself.

For Ponds, that was the worse part.

The man had been nothing but kind to them.

When Ponds didn’t respond, Obi-Wan ran a hand down his face. “Something must change,” he said softly, a pledge to himself. Then, as if snapping out of his torpor, he straightened up and the easy smile slid back onto his face. “Thank you for speaking with me, commander. I very much appreciate it,” He put a heavy hand on Ponds’ shoulder and rose to his feet, beckoning his new padawans over to him.

“What time is the ceremony tonight, sir?” Ponds asked, twisting around to watch his general go.

The Master Jedi stopped, surprised, and turned around. “1900 hours, in the Council Room,” he said, his eyes shining with appreciation, his shoulders lighter.

Ponds offered a smile in return and made his promise. “I’ll be there, Obi-Wan,”

Obi-Wan.

Not General. Not sir.

They were equals.

Even if it made his skin crawl with discomfort (because that went against regs, and were they even on a first name basis? Had Ponds earned that right?) it was important that the General saw that his kindness was not wasted.

They were equals.

The General smiled, genuine and grateful. The message was not lost on him. He dipped his head in thanks.

“Good. I’ll see you there, Ponds,”

Equals.

The Room of a Thousand Fountains was utterly electrifying. Everything was alive, everything was breathing. Rex’s skin tingled. He could feel everything—the air was heavy with humidity, it was cool and gentle as it shifted around him. He felt as if he was waking up for the first time and seeing. It was as if he’d never lived before.

For a moment, he almost forgot about how weird his new robes were.

“Still bothering you, young one?” General Kenobi asked patiently (Master Kenobi? Master Obi-Wan? General-Master? Genaster? Names and rank were decidedly more complex with this sudden turn of events.)

Rex chewed on his lip and gave his new tunic another tug, trying to get the fabric to stop bunching up beneath his belt. Then, he reached up and tried to flatten the stiff collar so that it would stop pressing under his chin. “No, I’m okay,” he muttered, but Obi-Wan knew better and knelt before the young clone.

“Ah,” the Jedi Master hummed in amusement. “It seems, dear padawan, that you’ve got your tabard on backwards. I don’t know how I didn’t notice before,”

“You were distracted. You’ve been worrying about a lot of other things,” Cody said easily, though he shrunk when Obi-Wan glanced over at him, quirking an eyebrow.

“Very perceptive, Cody,” the Master praised with a smile. “You’re very attuned to the emotions of others. I suspect you will be quite strong in the Living Force, as my master was,”

“I’m just good at reading people, sir,” Cody said sheepishly. “Alpha-17 gave me some special lessons,”

Obi-Wan nodded, carefully undoing Rex’s belt and casting it aside. “Arms up,” he said and Rex promptly obeyed. “How is Alpha? I haven’t seen him in quite some time. I was hoping to do a bit of catching up with him yesterday, but, alas, the time ran away from me,” He eased the tabard up over Rex’s head and flipped it around, tugging it back into place before returning the belt to its owner.

“You know Alpha-17?” Rex asked.

“I do. He and I are good friends. I worked with him for a short time, he accompanied me on several missions,” Obi-Wan explained, raising to his feet. “How does that feel? Better? Everything laying the way it should?”

“Yessir! Much better, thank you,” the young, blonde clone assured, dipping his head in thanks.

“And who was your master?” Cody asked, as the trio continued their journey through the Room.

Rex, who had spent his whole life in the sterile, metal halls of Kamino, had never seen so much nature before. The room was absolutely opulent, filled with grass and trees, cliffs and waterfalls. How did the Jedi manage to bring all of it inside?

“His name was Qui-Gon Jinn. He was like a father to me, though we didn’t get along so well in the beginning. I have never met anyone so kind and gentle. There was no greater Jedi, and no greater man,” Obi-Wan said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled wistfully.   
  
“Can we meet him?” Cody asked, and Obi-Wan’s smile turned bittersweet.

“No. I’m afraid he passed away a number of years ago. Though I would be more than happy to tell you stories of our many escapades,”

“Yes, please!” Rex requested, managing to snap his attention away from the scenery and back to his master. Then, he heard something screeching in the distance, and his attention was lost once more. “Are there animals here?” he asked.

Obi-Wan chuckled and lowered himself to sit on the ground. Cody followed suit, but Rex was so distracted that he missed the cue. “There are a few, yes. Mostly birds and small mammals whose injuries prevent them from living full lives in their natural environments. Please sit, Rex,”

Rex stiffened and snapped to attention before obediently dropping to his haunches and sitting in the grass. Carefully, he ran his hands over the blades, feeling the way the green leaves tickled his palms. He closed his eyes and inhaled, wanting to commit the feeling to memory, just in case he never got the opportunity to feel it again.

“Do you know what the Force is?” Obi-Wan asked, and Rex opened his eyes to watch his teacher carefully—he knew better than to not pay attention when the trainer was speaking.

“It’s an energy source. It’s what gives the Jedi their power,” Cody explained briefly, with the same clinical demeanor the Kaminoans had used when describing it to them.

“Very good. You are correct, Cody. But there is more to it than that,” Obi-Wan then produced a handful of smooth, round pebbles and a single, heavy, flat river rock from the pockets of his robe. He laid them on the ground in front of him and closed his eyes.

“The Force is an energy found in all living things,” Obi-Wan said. “It surrounds us. It flows through us. It binds us all together. Through the Force, all things are connected,”

Rex watched in awe as the larger river rock lifted itself in the air and began to float. One by one, the smaller pebbles began to lift as well, circling around the bigger rock like electrons around an atom; like moons orbiting planets or planets orbiting stars.

“We, as Jedi, dedicate ourselves to the Force, to its will. We are one with it, and it lives within us,”

The pebbles divided, the darker stones separating from the lighter stones and rearranging themselves in an alternating pattern, resuming their orbit once more.

“In all things, there are opposites—joy and sorrow, love and hate, fire and water, good and evil, light and dark. In all things, there must be balance. Without sorrow, there would be no joy. Without darkness, light would be indistinguishable. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction—have your trainers taught you this?”

Cody nodded, enraptured. “Yes, we know those laws—it’s physics,”

“As it is with science, the same is true within the Force and the same must be true for you as well. To be a good Jedi, you must first learn to find balance within yourselves,”

One by one, the stones return to rest in the grass. Carefully, Obi-Wan reached over and placed a pebble in front of each boy respectively.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed, and Rex and Cody obeyed. “What do you feel? What do you hear?”

Rex shifted his weight and sat up a little straighter, listening, feeling. “The grass. I can feel it tickling my legs,”

“And I can feel the weight of my arms on my knees. And I feel the fabric of my clothes on my skin, and I can hear the leaves rustling,” Cody chimed in.

“I can feel the wind,” Rex added. “I can hear the birds chirping,”

“Extend your awareness beyond yourself. Imagine yourself reaching out into the space beyond you. Imagine yourself connected, by a thread, to all living things,”

Obi-Wan’s voice washed over Rex like the ocean waves of Kamino. Wanting to be a good student—a good _padawan_ —he did as he was asked. Slowly, he extended his arm and reached out, fingers splayed, and imagined threads of light bursting forth from his fingertips.

And he was _everything._

He was a bird shifting in the trees, hopping from branch to branch, eyes sharp and head tilted, searching the ground for scattered seeds; he was a mouse skittering through the grass, jaws full with tufts of fluff to tuck away in his den; he was the water in the pools at the tops of the cliffs, ebbing and flowing and cascading down the rocks; he was the spider hiding in the discarded clothes of a messy young padawan, blissfully unaware of his future demise when he was inevitable discovered; he was the newly knighted Jedi practicing katas with his former master, in a training room across the temple; he was the planet as it rotated on its axis; he was the star at the center of the system, rapidly converting hydrogen into helium.

When Rex opened his eyes, he was himself again. He was laying on his back and Cody’s face was hovering over his own—his brother’s eyes wide with fear.

“Wh-what happened?” Rex asked, surprised by how weak and shaky he felt. “I-I-I can’t get up, I can’t move! What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing, young one, just lay there a minute. Be still and rest,” Obi-Wan said, kneeling beside Rex’s head and gently laying a cool, damp strip of cloth over his forehead. “You had a powerful vision,”

“You passed out,” Cody deadpanned, looking relieved.

“Is that bad? That I had a vision, I mean?” Rex asked.   
  


“No, no! Not at all. I used to get them all the time when I was younger. You’ve been suppressing your abilities for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if tapping into the Force for the first time was like breaking a dam,” Obi-Wan explained.

Rex frowned, quickly growing frustrated with the lack of control he had over his limbs, and stubbornly pushed himself upright, ignoring Master Obi-Wan’s protests.

“I… I feel better now. Can we keep going? I want to do it again,” Rex pressed, but Obi-Wan merely smiled.

“I think it would be wiser to return to our quarters, so you can get some rest,” the Master tutted and Rex bowed his head.

“Yes, sir,” he whispered dejectedly.

Obi-Wan put a gentle hand on Rex’s back. “There’s no need to feel ashamed. You did a wonderful job—your first meditation was very successful. However, using the Force can very draining and I’d rather be safe than sorry. Do you understand?” he asked.

Rex smiled, just a little and nodded. Obi-Wan helped him to his feet and together they gathered the pebbles.

“Is he going to be alright?” Cody asked and Obi-Wan nodded.

“He’ll be just fine,” he assured as he lead them back to his quarters—their quarters. “Now, Cody, while Rex is resting, perhaps I could teach you how to make tea?” Obi-Wan asked and Cody lit up, knowing that with tea, came sugar cubes.

“Yessir!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rex, doing a presentation: we have the force because of microscopic organisms in our cells called *reads smudged writing on hand* mitochondria
> 
> fives or hardcase, there for moral support: U N L I M I T E D P O W E R house of the cell


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My inspiration for Fox’s characterization came from BeanieBaby’s story, “To Infinity and Beyond”. Please go check it out, it’s one of my favorite stories ever! 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24707857/chapters/59719219

“A _lizard_ , Ponds. She ate a kriffing _lizard_ ,” Fox mourned, having removed his helmet just long enough to take a shot of Corellian brandy. “I thought Skywalker was bad with those damn bugs. But this is infinitely worse. She’s feral, Ponds. She’s absolutely feral,”

Ponds rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “You’re avoiding the subject,”

Fox sneered and poured himself another glass of alcohol. “Damn right I am,” he growled, and was just about to toss it back when Ponds caught his wrist.

“ _Enough_ , Fox,” Ponds said, using a tone stern enough that shinies would’ve been quaking in their armor. Then, he exhaled and released his hold on Fox’s wrist.

Luckily, Fox must’ve been feeling somewhat docile, because he set the glass down and put his helmet back on.

“Really?” Ponds cried, exasperated. “The helmet? Are you kidding? Fox, we’re off duty. What’s more, we’re off duty _in your quarters._ There’s nobody here to see your face except for me,”

“Don’t want you to see it either,” Fox growled, crossing his arms.

“Aw, come on, _ori’vod_ ,” Ponds assured, gentle patting his brother on the side of his buckets. “You’re still beautiful. A little scarring isn’t bad, it just makes you look more... roguish,”

“Fuck off, Ponds,” Fox growled, fingers curling around the shot glass. Was he going to throw it? Drink it? Only the Force knew what rattled around inside of Fox’s head.

Ponds, undeterred, put his hands on either side of Fox’s bucket and pulled it off with one swift motion, pressed an _oh-so-loving_ kiss to the thick, patchy, immolation scarring that marred the right half of Fox’s face, then quickly slammed the bucket back down before Fox had the change to bite him.

For someone who claimed to be ‘more civilized’ than their brother, Wolffe, he was terribly prone to biting.

Fox shot out of his seat and stood ramrod straight, likely seething under his bucket. “Get. Out.”

“No,” Ponds said easily, a lazy smile plastered on his face as he kicked his feet up into Ponds’s desk.

“Ponds...” Fox warned, smacking his brother in the calf.

“Ponds, I haven’t seen you in _months!_ Can’t I spend a little time with my _ori’vod?”_ he asked sweetly, batting

his eyes.

“Ponds, get out!” Fox shouted, and Ponds was starting to feel frustrated.

“No, you can’t tell me what to do, _vod._ I outrank you!” Pulling tank always worked with Fox. Always.

Fox fell totally silent and sank back down to his seat with such perfect efficiency, he looked almost mechanical.

“So I take it that you don’t like your Jedi’s new kid?” Ponds asked, feeling a little guilty about upsetting his brother to such a degree. He hoped that, maybe by changing the subject, he could placate Fox into allowing him to stay.

“It’s not my place to share my opinions,” Fox said coldly. “She’s my superior,”

“Technically, you share the rank,” Ponds argued, but when Fox didn’t respond, Ponds knew his brother wasn’t talking about _rank._

“I won’t tell anybody,” he said instead.

“ _Ponds_ ,” Fox growled and Ponds finally backed off.

Shaking his head, Fox eased his bucket off and set it aside just long enough to take his second shot.

“Day drinking is unbecoming of you, brother dearest,” Ponds said sweetly, and laughed when Fox reached out to smack him. But then Fox popped his helmet right back on and Ponds’ heart sank.

“Fox...”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Fox said gruffly, only for Ponds to roll his eyes.

“Well, I think you should. Fox, it you can’t keep doing this, hiding your face. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, everybody’s got-“

“It’s not about the scar, Ponds!” Fox shouted, his fist coming down hard on the his desk.

“Then tell me what it’s about!” Ponds retaliated, matching tone and volume, and even going as far as to smack his fist on Fox’s desk too, just to show his brother that he wouldn’t be bullied or scared away.

“On Kamino, being different got you killed. Bly’s got his tattoo and Wolffe’s got his scar and I’m all very _happy_ for you but it doesn’t-“

Ponds rolled his eyes. Always the same excuse. ‘I don’t want to look different...’ Banthashit.

“You just don’t want anybody looking at you and thinking that you’re a real person. You just don’t want to get attached,” Ponds interrupted, cold and calculated.

Fox’s head snapped up to face him, and Ponds couldn’t tell his his brother was angry or surprised. Nevertheless, he set his jaw and lifted his chin. He could take whatever his brother had to say to him.

“We’re _clones_. We’re expendable. Do you know what ‘expendable’ means? It’s an adjective used to describe an object deigned to be used only once, and then abandoned or destroyed. _Vod,_ nobody cares about us. We’re meant to be th _e same._ If we deviate too much from standard, who’d going to stop the GAR from having us reconditioned?”

For a moment, Ponds was completely and utterly floored, so astonished that he could put his thoughts into words. Sure, the Marshall Commander had thought the same thing many times, but hearing it from Fox? Even if his brother had to tendency to be a bit of a pessimist, hearing it outloud like that made it tangible, made it real. But, it wasn’t as if it was new information. This was a fact that had been drilled into their heads since the day they were decanted. ‘Hello new child. Welcome to the world. Here’s an identification number because you’re worth so little that even giving you a proper name is a waste of effort. Off you go.’

However, for the first time in Ponds’ thirteen meager years of life, it suddenly occurred to him that, maybe they were _wrong._ Maybe everybody—the Kaminoans, the clones, the Republic—maybe they were all wrong.

“The Jedi will,” Ponds was unable to stop himself as the words came tumbling out of his mouth. He was almost tempted to regret them, but they arose with a confidence he had never felt before and an unfamiliar warmth spread across his chest.

“Oh, fuck _you_ ,”

“Fox, I’m serious! The Jedi, they’ve got- they had _no_ idea. I spoke with Kenobi about it yesterday. He didn’t know- none of them knew,”

Fox was silent for a long time, his gaze boring through his brother like a laser. “They didn’t know?” he asked, incredulously, untrusting, disbelieving... hopeful.

“Fox, _vod_ , listen. This is wild,” Ponds began, scooting his chair closer to Fox’s and taking his hands. Fox didn’t protest to the gesture, likely because he was simply too shocked. “Kenobi’s got two new apprentices,” he said.

“ _Two?_ I thought the Jedi were only allowed to have one apiece,” Fox said, likely reeling from the idea of Skywalker claiming a second, lizard-eating padawan.

“Fox, they’re _vode_ ,” Ponds all but choked out, practically beside himself with something akin to giddiness.

“...they- what?”

“We went to Kamino yesterday to pick up supplies and shinies. There were these two teeny little CTs who were headed off to be decommed for Force-Sensitivity and Kenobi—little gods, _vod_!—Kenobi _saved_ them. Hell, he didn’t just save them, he claimed them! He’s going to train them to be Jedi, with full-on lightsabers and everything!” That warm feeling in Ponds’ chest began to spread, reaching all the way down to his fingertips. Early that morning, he hadn’t been sure how he felt about the situation but now, as he spoke with Fox, he realized that, yes, he knew exactly how he felt: he was proud of his General. He was proud that his General had saved his two littlest _vode_ , and he felt a surging flash of hope that maybe things would start changing.

“In the nicest way possible, Ponds, how high are you right now?” Fox asked, once again reaching for his alcohol but Ponds was too quick and snatched the jar of amber liquid away.

“I’m serious, Fox!”

“Ponds, Listen to yourself! Why would he ever rescue a couple of Force-Sensitive clones, if they were the ones who asked the Kaminoans to weed out the Force-Sensitive ones in the first place?” he demanded and Ponds was so giddy that he couldn’t resist shaking the jar of liquid like a soda can.

“Fox, that’s what I’m trying to tell you!” he exclaimed as Fox snatched the bottle away. “Fox, they had no idea we could be Force Sensitive. They had no idea! They weren’t the one’s who made the request! That was all the Kaminoans, the _jetii_ has nothing to do with it. Fox, things are going to start changing, I just know it!”

Ponds could hear Fox’s heart pounding, echoing its drum beat across the sparse room. “You serious? Are you really, actually being serious?”

“I am, Fox. I swear I am,”

“They had no idea? None of them?”

“None of them, _ori’vod_ ,”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Fox’s fingers reached up and clasped around the rim of his helmet, slowly easing it up over his head. Ponds, already surprised by the gesture, was even more shocked as he watched Fox set his bucket aside on the desk and stumble, almost drunkly, towards the door.

“ _Vod?”_ be asked, and Fox waved his hand dismissively.

“I need to go have a word with my General,”

Obi-Wan was bursting with pride as he lead his two padawans into the Council Room. Years ago, when he had first taken Anakin as his padawan, the joy of the moment had been robbed by his grief at Qui-Gon’s loss, and his anxiety over training a boy he had, frankly not wanted.

That wasn’t to say that Anakin didn’t _become_ wanted—he had very quickly wormed his way into his master’s heart.

But there was something wonderful about standing before the Council beside the boys he had chosen to train. There was something glorious in _choosing_ , in hoping that, perhaps, these boys would lead a better life—that _all_ the clones would lead better lives for it.

Rex, flighty in the presence of so many masters, took a timid step behind Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan, in turn, rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Pleased we are to welcome you into our ranks, Rex and Cody,” Master Yoda said, and both boys stood straight up at attention, hands at their foreheads in the perfect salute. “Wish to become Jedi, you do, hmm?”

“Yessir!” Cody chirped.

“Sir, yes sir!” Rex agreed.

Obi-Wan could feel Master Plo’s barely shielded delight from all the way across the room and Master Ti, from where her hologram wavered in her seat, smiled brilliantly.

“The life of the Jedi is not always an easy one,” Master Windu warned. “Know that, should you choose to pursue the teachings of the Force, there may be many great trials ahead. Do you still wish to proceed?”

“Better to be a Jedi than to be dead, sir,” Cody chimed, and the wave of discomfort that echoed through the congregated masters was tangible.

Nevertheless, Master Windu smiled. “Very well, then. Master Kenobi, you may proceed,”

Obi-Wan’s eyes shifted through the gathered masters. He saw Ahsoka and Anakin standing aside and felt another surge of pride course through his blood. Ahsoka looked positively gleeful, her hands clasped tightly under her chin. Anakin, meanwhile, has his arms crossed loosely at his chest and looked rather smug. Still, through their bond, Obi-Wan knew that his former apprentice was pleased—though there was something hot and angry boiling just beneath the surface.

Then, his eyes fell on Ponds, Fox, Waxer, and Boil (the latter two at Cody and Rex’s request)—all of whom stood reverently in their military uniforms. Fox, who was without his bucket (much to Obi-Wan’s surprise) look absolutely gobsmacked by the sight of his two youngest _vode_ all decked out in Jedi garb, and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but grin. Yes, he was very pleased by this turn of events, and he was especially happy to share this moment with those he cared for the most.

He turned to face his two young boys and instructed them to kneel. They glowed in the Force, bright and shining and utterly _radiant._

“Initiate Rex, Initiate Cody, I want you to repeat after me,” Obi-Wan began. _“I promise to uphold the Jedi Code. I promise to respect all life and to help those weaker than myself. I vow to use the Force only for good; never in anger and only to defend those who cannot defend themselves. I promise to find new ways to improve myself so that I may be an example to others; to provide guidance to those that seek it, while not seeking to lead or rule them.”_

Rex and Cody followed along, standing steadfast and resolute before their master, firm in their resolve as they swore their oath to the Jedi and to the Light.

Obi-Wan ducked his head in reverence and swore his own oath: “ _On my honor as a Jedi Master, I promise to guide you in the ways of the Force. I promise to protect and teach, to guard your life, to serve you, to nurture you. I promise to be patient and just. I promise to pass on to you all that I know._ Cody, will you accept me as your master?”

Cody nodded resolutely. “I will,”

“Rex, will you take me as your master?”

Rex nodded as well, a bit more vigorously. “Yessir! I will!”

Obi-Wan, smiling, extending his hands. “Then rise, Padawans, and take your place beside me in the Force,”

Eagerly, Cody and Rex each took hold of Obi-Wan’s hands. As soon as their hands touched, the Force lit up with all the energy of a protostar igniting, eager to accept its newest students into the fold. Obi-Wan was overcome with a vision, the strongest he’d had in years, of men spread across the galaxy, some dressed in Jedi robes, others adorned in civilian clothing. All shared the same face; all were free; all rejoiced.

Obi-Wan’s hands tightened around his padawans as the bond between master and apprentice was sealed, linking the three forever in the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT QUESTION EVERYBODY NEEDS TO ANSWER: 
> 
> Are Fives and Echo 212th or 501st?
> 
> In terms of timeline, The Rishi Moon incident happened not long before the story started, and I absolutely believe that Ponds and Fox would’ve had a fistfight over who got to keep the Domino Twins.
> 
> ALSO:   
> Do y’all want to see any of the other members of Domino survive Rishi?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don’t want it to seem like Rex and Cody are really rushing through their training, but I do believe that they would be more advanced than Anakin had been at this early stage—they were trained on Kamino in the Mandalorian tradition to have self-mastery and be warriors. Although they’re not quite as adept as the older cadets or the initiates who had grown up in the Temple, I really do believe they would advance quickly.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was a heavy sleeper. Cody wasn’t sure why this fact surprised him so much. His General—Master, he had to remind himself—had an energy about him that was smooth and flowing, but also grounded, like a river cutting through layers of red rock over eons and eons. And yet, Cody sensed— _sensed! With the Force!—_ that the man had a tendency to hoard secret sorrows like some of the older cadets used to hoard contraband. It was as if the man, stripped away of all his layers, was built on a foundation of shame and grief and misplaced guilt.

_Infinite sorrow_. The Force seemed to whisper around him. And Cody didn’t like that very much. He wondered if his master’s destined “infinite sorrow” was truly cosmic, or if it was only self imposed. Cody hoped and prayed it was only the latter—Master Obi-Wan was one of the kindest, gentlest men he’d ever met. He _radiates_ goodness and Light. Surely the universe couldn’t be so cruel as to punish him for such qualities.

Cody banished the thoughts from his head and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on constructing his ‘mental shield’ as Master Windu taught them after their ceremony.

Cody liked being Force-Bonded to his master and his brother. It was nice to be able to feel them, to know that they were safe and close. Even surrounded by identical brothers, Kamino had been a terribly lonely place. He had been, after all, different from his brothers. But here, in the Temple, surrounded by so many other people who had the same gifts that he did... he didn’t feel like such an _abomination_ anymore. Nevertheless, having two other people’s thoughts and emotions inside of his head was very intimidating. He was glad that Master Windu had showed them how to block out all the noise, he would’ve gone crazy.

Quietly, he crept into his master’s room, careful not to wake him. It wasn’t a hard feat, before his demotion, Cody had been specially trained in stealth for secret ops. The nerve-wracking part was the added element of _making sure his thoughts and feelings weren’t too loud._

Swallowing his fear, he pushed forward and carefully gathered up the big, brown cloak that his master had discarded on the floor. He felt a pang is discomfort at the sight—The clones, taught in the Mandalorian tradition by Jango Fett—considered their armor to be sacred. They treated it with the utmost respect, never letting it touch the floor where possible.

The young clone—the padawan—had to remind himself that this culture was different, that robes were not armor. Glancing around the room, he spotted his master’s lightsaber, meticulously cleaned and polished, carefully stowed away on the nightstand beside the bed. The lightsabers were to the Jedi what armor was to the clones. Cody smiled. Perhaps their cultures weren’t so different after all.

He slipped his hand inside of one of the enormous, yawning pockets and retrieved the smooth river stone that Master Obi-Wan had used in his demonstration in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Cody hadn’t been able to make his pebble lift during the exercise (he had been too consumed by the presence of the Force and his subsequent fear when Rex collapsed) but perhaps he could complete the exercise now.

He stole out of the room and passed quickly by the room that he and Rex shared (a room! They had a whole room! Not just a bunk in the side of the wall, they had a whole room all to themselves!) and peaked inside, just to make sure that Rex was still asleep. Rex was a whole year younger than him, he was still just a kid! He needed his sleep.

Luckily, the blonde-haired clone was safe and sound, fast asleep all bundled up beneath the covers.

Smiling softly, just to himself, he slipped away. He stopped at the door of their quarters, wrestling with himself. He so badly wanted to steal away back into the Room of a Thousand Fountains—the peace he had felt there was like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life—but it was too risky. The Jedi seemed much kinder than the Kaminoans, but if he was caught outside of his quarters after curfew... Cody Bit his lip. It wasn’t worth it.

Instead, he stepped out onto their meager little balcony and settled on the floor. The roar of traffic was very loud and the lights of the city were bright, but Cody had been trained to ignore distractions. He set the rock on the floor in front of him and crossed his legs, allowing his eyes to shut and his breathing to fall even.

“I am one with the Force,” he whispered, out stretching one of his hands. “I am one with the Force, the Force is with me,”

He could feel it sparking against the very tips of his fingers, just out of reach. It was sharp like static, and warm like sunlight. For Cody’s whole life it had been right there, just beyond him, just out of reach. It promised light and hope and warmth and peace, always just out of reach. Some nights, Cody would lay in the safety of his bed and reach out with his minded, listening to the way it called to him, feeling the way every cell in his body ached, longing to be apart of it, desperate to be accepted by it, always so close and so, so far away.

Cody had grown up believing that the light and the joy would forever remain just out of reach, that he would never be able to feel it wrapping around him, that he would never be able to feel himself submerged in it.

But here he was, in the Jedi Temple, having taken his very first step towards being a Jedi and it felt so _right._ Nothing in his life had ever felt so correct, not even the first time he’d fired a blaster. This was exactly where he was meant to be.

Those strands of light that had always been just out of reach, reached out and caressed the very tips of his fingers. He splayed his hand out, letting the light coil around his extremities, before curling his fingers around it and pulling it close, letting it wash over him, let it swallow him whole.

He could feel the light within him, surging through his veins as if his blood had been replaced with ichor. He extended a hand, reaching out to the very corners of creation, and searched for the stone before him. Breathing deeply, he concentrated loosely, not willing to shatter the peace he had finally found within himself, and willed the stone to rise, as if it were a part of him, as if it were his to beckon.

The strangest sensation came over him—a fullness, a pulling that began in his heart and extended outwards, all the way to the tips of his fingers.

Something was happening.

Cody’s heart was pounding with excitement. Had he done it? Was this it? All his life he had wanted to use the Force, to indulge, just once, in the gifts it had given him without the fear of death.

When he cracked his eyes open he saw, much to his amazements, the river stone floating languidly six inches off of the ground. He did it! He had the Force!

“I’m gonna be a Jedi!” he whooped, nearly sending the stone careening over the balcony in his excitement.

Then, eyes widening, he froze, clamping he a hand over his mouth. The stone fell from the air. His veins flooded with an icy fear or repercussion (he could be killed for this.)

No, but he wasn’t on Kamino anymore! He was safe now.

(Maybe it was all just a lie, a trick.)

But that was stupid. Cody didn’t believe that at all. He relaxed, just a little, and peaked his head inside. after all, he could still get in trouble if he’d accidentally woken his master up.

But Kenobi was still sleeping—Cody could heat him snoring softly, and distantly wondered when the last time was that his master had slept.

It didn’t matter and, frankly, Cody didn’t care. He was too giddy. He had the Force! He had the Force! He was going to be a Jedi!

Sucking in his breath, he reached out once more to summon the stone to his hand, but the stone merely shifted on the ground and didn’t move. Cody frowned, pulled from his revere. It worked the first time, why wasn’t it working now?

Oh.

Cody sucked in another steady breath as he tried to remember the mantra master Obi-Wan had taught him. “There no emotion, there is only peace. There is no passion, there is only... peace. There is no Dark, there is only Light. There is no hatred, only love?” That didn’t feel right. “There is no Death, there is only the Force,” Okay, so maybe he didn’t remember it as well as he was supposed to, but at least he remembered that last bit!

He still didn’t understand what it meant entirely, but he knew it had something to do with _balance._ To use the Force, he had to be calm. He had to be balanced. So he closed his eyes and exhaled, feeling his feet on the ground, feeling his position in the room. He couldn’t let his emotions, his excitement get the better of him. Calm. Grounded. Level-headed. He had to focus on the here and now. He exhaled and released his emotions into the Force.

Okay... so... he didn’t _actually_ know how to release his emotions into the Force. He hadn’t learned that lesson yet. But it was probably like those grounding exercises on Kamino, so he walked himself through one of them, and reached out once more.

The stone came flying into his hand.

Cody, forgetting all about his need to be calm and balanced and grounded, hunched in on himself, trying to contain his squeals of glee, and danced around the balcony.

When Obi-Wan had meditated in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, he had done this really neat trick where he made _himself_ levitate, too. Cody just _had_ to try it.

Setting down the rock, he sat himself down on the ground again and crossed his legs, grounded, and concentrated.

It was a _significantly_ more difficult task to accomplish. But Cody was certainly not one to give up. On Kamino, he’d had a reputation among the trainers of being absolutely _feral._ Maybe he wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but he was, by far, the most determined. If he wanted to win, he would win. No matter how tired he was, no matter how many blows he took, how many bruises or black eyes or broken teeth he accumulated, he fought until he _won._ It didn’t matter how many times he got knocked down. He always got back up.

He learned, after he was demoted, after he was marched down one hallway and his batchmates down another, never to see each other ever again, that nobody was protecting him. Nobody _cared._ He learned that if he wanted to survive, he had to fight.

And he _fought._

He learned to be ruthless, he learned to be wild. The trainers tried to beat that out of him, but that only spurred him on further.

When Rex came stumbling into his life, the urge to protect fueled Cody on even further.

Perhaps that’s why it took so long for the _Kaminiise_ to grow a pair and finally have him decommed—he was the best of the best, his spine foraged into durasteel by sheer force of will, and every beating that came at the hands of the trainers was just another swing of the hammer.

So, if Cody wanted to levitate, he would levitate. If he needed balance, he would find balance.

He had learned, growing up on Kamino, somewhere between the sterile laboratory walls and confines of an inflexible military regime—between special training to withstand even the most intense torture and being trained to survive for days or weeks without food or water (both of which began at the tender age of five standard years; Rex had already survived both ordeals)—that his actions were his own. The only thing in the whole world that he could control was himself, and his actions. That was the only control the Kaminoans had ever given them and Cody had learned to _thrive_ on it—waking up in the morning was a choice. Cussing out a trainer was a choice. Going to classes or trainings was a choice. Getting back up from a heavy hit was a choice.

Cody had learned to master himself because it was the only thing he’d ever been able to control.

So if he wanted to levitate then, dammit, he would levitate. And it took him nearly three hours of pure concentration before he felt any left at all but, after that, it was a cinch.

And he was utterly _ecstatic._ He giggled hysterically as he wobbled and lost his balance (supporting oneself in air with only the power of the mind was surprisingly more difficult that supporting oneself against the ground) and didn’t hesitate to pick himself back up when he wobble too much and lost his concentration.

The next task was to levitate himself in the hair whist also levitated the river rock in his hands. He wobbled like crazy, but he didn’t lose concentration enough to drop the rock.

More things. He needed more things. How many things could he levitate at one time?

Eagerly, he scampered off to the kitchen and collected three teacups from the cupboard. He spent the rest of the night wrapped in the Light of the Force, practicing his levitation until the exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep, still curled up out on the balcony.

When Obi-Wan has raised Anakin, he learned early on to expect the unexpected. The boy enjoyed snacking on live bugs, for Force sake!

When he had knelt in front of Rex and Cody and tied off their padawan braid for the first time, he felt confident that nothing in their apprenticeship would be out of the ordinary. The boys were so sweet and calm and stoic, he couldn’t imagine either of them doing anything that would catch him off guard—could faze him anymore!

However, as he stood, at six in the morning, in front of the balcony, door ajar, and stared down at the older of his two apprentices—who was curled up, fast asleep, clutching three teacups and his River Stone—it occurred to Obi-Wan that perhaps he had been wrong in his previous assumption.

Smiling with amusement, he crouched beside the boy and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Cody,” he said softly, and the boy sat up sharp and straight, and immediately scrambled to attention, saluting. Where Cody was expecting a dressing down, Obi-Wan merely laughed. “At ease, padawan mine. What’s all this?” he asked, reaching out and carefully palming the river rock. His lips twisted upwards and he said, “I see you have taken this from my pocket. I am unsure if I should praise your for your stealth, or scold you for pickpocketing,”

Cody stiffened and said nothing as he stood at parade rest, arms crossed tensely behind his back.

“Praise it is, then. You should be very proud. It is very difficult to sneak anything past me while I am sleeping,”

And then, he winked. He _winked_ and Cody blinked owlishly, his cheeks heating up. It was a joke. Obi-Wan was joking. He wasn’t upset. Cody had never been part of an inside joke and, frankly, it felt... good. It felt really nice.

“Sit with me, Cody,” the master requested and Cody did as he was asked. “I usually come out here to meditate in the mornings. I see you were meditating too. How long have you been here?”

Cody ducked his head and still didn’t say anything.

“That’s alright,” Obi-Wan assured, placing a hand on Cody’s back. He noted the way his padawan’s back rolled, leaning into his touch and he made a mental note that Cody responded positively to attention and physical affection, where as Rex seemed to do best with verbal praise and rewards like candy.

“I... maybe... was out here all night...” Cody said sheepishly.

“Oh?” Obi-Wan asked, a little surprised. “And why’s that?” He remembered that Anakin also had trouble sleeping in the beginning—Coruscant was too loud and too bright and too cold for a boy raised on a lonely desert planet. He feared that, perhaps Cody was homesick like Anakin had been.

“I’m sorry sir. I know I should’ve been sleeping. It’s just...” Cody averted his eyes and his face flushed. “Yesterday, I couldn’t make my pebble levitate. I want to try again,”

“Ah,” Obi-Wan said, nodding. “A very noble desire, wanting to push yourself until you succeed. Anakin was very similar that way, driven to succeed even at the expense of sleep and food,” he mused fondly. “But, my young padawan, you must also learn to be patient. You have only just begun your journey. Mastery of the Force with come with practice and with time. In all things, there must be balance—a time to train and a time to rest. Be kind to other; but be kind to yourself as well,”

Cody’s large brown eyes fixed on Obi-Wan almost uncomprehendingly. This was a very different philosophy than the trainers on Kamino taught: they believed that success, that improvement came at the expense of all other things—food, sleep, rest—that weakness would cost brothers their lives.

Clones were, after all, expendable. They welfare mattered very little.

“Cody, you are _not_ expendable. Not you, not Rex, not Waxer or Boil or Ponds or Fox or any of your brothers. No living being is _expendable_ , Cody,” Obi-Wan said with a fierceness and a passion that shook him to his very core.

“Yes, Master. I apologize,” he said, bowing his head.

Once again, Obi-Wan put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “I apologize, Cody. I didn’t mean to come across so harshly. I only want you to know that you are important, not just to the galaxy, not just to the Republic, you are important to _me_. Please never think less of yourself,”

“Now then,” Obi-Wan said, smiling and clapping his hands together. “Why don’t you show me what you’ve been practicing last night?”

Cody couldn’t help it when his face lit up. He gathered up the teacups and reached for the stone, which Obi-Wan was happy to give him. Then, he sits on the floor and closes his eyes, concentrating. First, the stone levitates, followed by the each one of the teacups, which all stacked on top of each other in a neat, rotating line.

Then, ever so slowly, Cody lifted up off of the ground, wobbling ever so slightly. He got a good three inches off of the ground before the wobbling became lost balance and Force exhaustion set in. He lost his concentration and dropped back to the ground, carefully catching the falling objects.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully, searching for the right words as he saw Cody duck his head and peer over at him expectantly, seeking approval.

And Obi-Wan had plenty of approval to give.

“Cody, perhaps I owe you an apology,” he began, and Cody sat up ramrod straight, anxious.

“Sir?”

“I may have underestimated you. This was quite the impressive feat. Cody, Force Manipulation of this caliber requires an incredible amount of self control,” he placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder, wanting to drive home the point.” You should feel very, very proud of what you have accomplished here. I am... to be frank... rather astonished by the level of skill you have demonstrated,”

Such freely given praise made Cody’s head spin. He looked away, blushing, but once again, his back arched, rising up to meet the hand on his shoulder. He scooted just a little closer, nervously, and Obi-Wan was very quick to pick up on the subtle request.

He wrapped an arm around Cody’s shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze. “I am very proud of you, my padawan, for your dedication and self mastery,”

Cody felt like maybe he had died and gone to heaven.

“But,” Obi-Wan began, his voice taking on a mischievous tone. “Im the future, I think it would be wise not to train when you ought to be sleeping,” he said, swiping a thumb affectionately across the dark smudges beneath the padawan’s eyes. “Lest you start looking like a raccoon or Commander Fox,”

Cody sucked his head and stifled a giggle, hiding his mouth behind his hands.

“Cody... although there isn’t much I know about life on Kamino, I am beginning to get the impression that you weren’t granted many... freedoms in your day to day life,” Obi-Wan said, and his tone quickly became sympathetic. “But I wanted to assure you that things will be different here,”

Then, he reached forward and took the River Rock, holding it in his palm, admiring it with fondness. “This stone is very important to me,” he said.

“I could sense that, sir,” Cody said, still somewhat in awe by how he was able to speak of the Force so freely. “It has a presence around it that feels almost.. familiar,”

“Very perceptive,” Obi-Wan praised, ruffling his padawan’s dark hair. “This was given to me by my master on my thirteenth birthday, just after he claimed my as his padawan,”

Cody’s eyes widened at the idea that somebody as great and glorious as Obi-Wan Kenobi could have ever been a kid once.

“After he passed, it brought me great comfort. It reminded me that he was still with me, even though I could not see him. _There is no death, there is only the Force_ ,” he whispered reverently. Then, he took Cody’s hand and placed the smooth, cool stone into his palm. “It’s funny. In so many ways, you remind me of him. You are strong in the Living Force, just as he was. You are kind and gentle, as he was. And you are also very determined, willful even, just as he was,” He gently curled Cody’s fingers around the stone. “I want you to have this, Cody. As a reminder that you are more than your upbringing, and you are more than an expendable piece of meat. You are a Jedi, Cody. Let this stone reminded you who you are,”

Cody held onto the stone tight. Never had he ever been given a gift before. Never had he ever had a possession, anything which he could call his own.

“Thank you, Master,” he said and, instead of saluting, he bowed. Then, chewing on his lip, he asked, “And what about Rex?”

Obi-Wan laughed. “Don’t worry. I shall find something for him as well. I merely thought that perhaps he wouldn’t be so appreciative of a rock,”

Cody chuckled a little. For only having known them for two days, Obi-Wan was very perceptive. “Yessir, I think you might just be right,” he admitted.

Whereas Cody was very gifted in the Force, Rex had a natural proclivity towards dueling. He was quick, observant, and steady. He also, much to Obi-Wan’d chagrin, he seemed to have a natural predisposition towards the more dangerous reverse grip, which was also favored by Kenobi’s grandpadawan, Ahsoka Tano.

He made a mental not too give Rex a few extra lesson on Form VII, particularly in Shien.

But for now, it was best to stick with the basics. He couldn’t deny, he was surprised by how quickly they were picking it up—though he supposed he should’ve expected it. They’re clones, after all. Having born and raised on Kamino meant they were likely training to fight since they were very small.

“Very, very good,” Obi-Wan praised as they finished their final set of the first kata. Cody quickly fell into parade rest, but Rex kept swinging his wooden saber around, playing with it, resting the weight and balance of it in his hands.

“Is this what a real lightsaber actually feels like, sir?” Rex blurted out, earning a sharp look from Cody, who was still fretted about ‘speaking out of turn’.

Obi-Wan held up a placating hand and sent warmth down his bond with Cody. _At ease, young one. There is no harm in asking questions here._

“Why do you ask, Rex?” Obi-Wan asked aloud, mild surprise coloring his tone, and his end of their bond.

Rex stood up sharply, the tips of his ears turning pink from the sudden attention. “I-It’s just... I don’t think a real lightsaber would be made of wood and- and the _kaminiise_ that a lightsaber wasn’t like a regular blade, that it could only be wielded by Jedi,”

Obi-Wan smiled knowingly. “I ask again, Rex, why do you ask?”

Now Rex’s whole face was turning red. He shifted his feel uncomfortably and Obi-Wan saw Cody tense as he felt Rex root through their bond, searching for insincerity. Cody met his master’s eyes and suddenly relaxed.

“It’s alright, Rex. Go ahead,” Cody urged.

Obi-Wan’s brows knit together. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Cody demonstrate an unusual absolute for reading the emotions of others.

_Force Empathy?_ he wondered briefly, then shook his head. _Here and now, Kenobi. That is a thought for another time._

“I just... wondered why we were using these wooden sticks if a real lightsaber was going to be different, sir,” Rex squeaked, still nervous, and Obi-Wan sent a wave of comfort his way.

“A _very_ good question, Rex! A good student always asks questions. And ‘ _why’_ is the most important question there is,” Obi-Wan praised, and felt a sudden warmth wash over him as he watched Rex beam in delight, and Cody glow with pride for his brother.

“You are correct, Rex. A lightsaber is very different than a regular sword,” he said, beckoning Rex closer. The younger of the two padawans wasted no time in bounding towards his master’s side. “Hold out your hands, dear one,” he said, and Rex did as he was asked.

Carefully, Obi-Wan placed his lightsaber in his padawan’s palms. Rex’s eyes widened, but Obi-Wan was quick to quell his nerves. “As ease, young one. It’s alright. You have my permission to hold it,”

Carefully Rex’s fingers wrapped around the hilt. “Feel how heavy it is?” Obi-Wan asked. “All of the weight of the saber is contained within the hilt,”

Rex nodded, wide eyes, and gave the powered down hilt a felt practice swings. “It’s really heavy. But it feels... funny. Like it’s not empty. Like it’s got all this energy it’s just barely holding back,”

“Turn it on,” Kenobi urged. Rex, still nervous, looked up at his master, just to affirm that he had heard correctly. Obi-Wan nodded and Rex pressed the button.

The lightsaber roared to life with a magnetic hum and a surge of energy. The blue blade sprang forth from hilt with ease. Rex was in awe, transfixed by it.

“See how the blade of the saber has no weight? Give it a few swings,”

Obi-Wan didn’t need to ask twice. Utterly enthralled, Rex swung the saber around a few times, surprised by the lack of weight in the blade.

“When wielding a regular sword, one relies on natural forces like gravity to bring the blade around. With a lightsaber, we must rely on _ourselves_ to make the blade go where we want to to go—through our connection to the Kyber crystal inside, and through our connection to the Force,” Obi-Wan instructed, watching with some amusement as Rex struggled to get the blade to do what he wanted.

Obi-Wan inhaled, grounding, and extended his hand. There was a change in the Force, a rushing a swirling around them like water changing position and moving to accommodate the sudden presence of a large stone.

Much to Rex’s surprise, the blade felt heavier.

“Can you feel that?” Obi-Wan asked, and Rex nodded eagerly. “Yessir!” After taking a few more generous swings and walking through the first few steps of the kata they had learned, Rex powered down the saber and returned it to its owner.

“So why use a wooden stick instead of the real thing?” Rex asked. “Especially if they feel so different?”

“Because,” Obi-Wan began, gently tucking his saber away. “A lightsaber is a very complex weapon. Not only does it require mastery of the form to wield, one also must be attuned to the Force while also remaining completely aware of one’s surroundings, and maintaining balance within oneself. I believe it would be very difficult,” Obi-Wan said with a knowing smile in Cody’s direction (who would likely hear this and immediately want to attempt it all at once.) “to attempt to master all of these elements at one time. So we begin learning forms with the wooden saber, while also learning self-mastery through exercises in balance, and strengthening our connection with the Force through meditation,”

Rex looked a little torn between feeling excited and feeling a little disappointed. There was part of him that had hoped he would receive his lightsaber as soon as he got to the Temple.

“Patience, Rex,” Cody added, in just the same tone that Obi-Wan had used with him earlier that morning.

“A lightsaber cannot be given to you by somebody else,” Obi-Wan said, having heard the question projected loudly through the bond. He made a mental note to continue to work on shielding. “Every Jedi who wields a lightsaber, must construct it themselves,” he said, and carefully removed his lightsaber from his belt, holding it flat in the palms of his hands.

With a little concentration, the lightsaber lifted and split apart to reveal the intricate parts inside and, at the very core, spun the radiant blue kyber crystal. “When you are ready, I will take you to a planet that is very sacred to the Jedi Order. You will participate in an ancient Jedi ritual called ‘The Gathering’, where you shall find and collect your very own kyber crystal. Then, through the will of the Force and under the guidance of Master Huyang, you shall construct the lightsaber yourself,”

Slowly, the pieces came back together and returned to Obi-Wan’s palm.

“When will we get to do that?” Rex asked, practically bouncing on his toes, and Obi-Wan merely smiled.

“When you are ready, young one,”

Exchanging an excited glance with Cody, Rex tightened his hold on his wooden stick and scrambled back into place, next to his brother.

“Another round of katas?” Obi-Wan asked, and both Rex and Cody nodded eagerly.

“Sir yes sir!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this update took so long, I was dead set on finishing my other story, “The Mercy”. But it’s done now, so updates will be more regular again. 
> 
> To read about Ahsoka aggressively befriending Fox, check out “Dissident” which is the next story in the series. 
> 
> The timing of this chapter is officially set in s2e1 “Holocron Heist”

Unfortunately, war waits for nobody, not even a Master raising two clever padawans.

Obi-Wan managed to remain on Coruscant for a whole standard month, training his boys and strengthening their bond, before he received his next assignment: a five-week long campaign. Rex and Cody would, much to their great dismay, not be allowed to come and were to remain on Coruscant under the watchful eyes Masters Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Depa Billaba, and Depa’s padawan, Caleb Dume.

It was a rather unfortunate turn of events in Cody’s eyes, who found himself feeling surprisingly distressed by the idea that Master Obi-Wan was just going to _leave_. For the past month, he had been by their side, offering support and structure and compassion. He had been more constant than the stars in the sky: he was there when they woke up in the morning, and he was there when they went to bed. Now, he was suddenly _leaving_ and Cody had to face the possibility that his master might never come back.

Cody was not naive to the harsh realities of war. He had grown up trained in the art of it. The Kaminoans has spoke freely of death—it was something to be expected. After all, they were made to die. Dying was the most important thing a clone could do.

_“You will lose friends and family on the battlefield. That is a fact,”_ they had said.

Cody had accepted that fact. Death was inevitable and he was not afraid of it. Truth be told, he hadn’t even expected to survive long enough to set foot on the front lines; with his aptitude for the Force, he had (correctly) assumed that he would die long before he ever made it to ‘adulthood’, that his death would come at the wrong end of a syringe.

The idea that Cody would someday die... that was fact. That was inevitable. However... the idea that Master Obi-Wan, or Ponds, or Waxer and Boil might die... Cody wasn’t quite sure how to cope with that. It made his head spin.

It wasn’t that he was _afraid_ of Master Kenobi’s death... it was just... he couldn’t imagine his Master suddenly _not being there tomorrow._

Sure, there would be other Jedi to train him and his brother, but it wouldn’t be the same. It was such a strange, selfish thing to be worried about, but Cody couldn’t help but wonder if their hypothetical next Master would be as kind as Obi-Wan—if they would treat him and Rex with the same respect that Obi-Wan had, if they would drink tea and sneak them sugar cubes to suck on, or give them hugs, or tell them how _proud_ they were.

Cody had never experienced kindness like Master Obi-Wan’s before and it occurred to him, in a whirlwind of thought, that perhaps Obi-Wan’s kindness was unique and suddenly, they were headed off to war—real, actual war—and that whole ‘ _you will lose friends and family on the battlefield’_ became a little too real for Cody.

So, when Master Obi-Wan had knelt down beside Cody and Rex and told them that he was going away on a five-week campaign and that they had to stay behind, Rex had nodded resolutely and asked, “When do you leave, Master?” with all the blind-faith in the world, and Cody... Cody blinked owlishly and something inside of him shifted and snapped like a thin, dry twig.

“In three days time,” Kenobi had said, but Cody wasn’t really listening.

_This isn’t abandonment_ , he had to remind himself. _This is just the reality of war._

He told himself that it doesn’t matter whether or not Kenobi comes back. Either way, Cody will survive and he’ll make sure that Rex survives as well. They have to. Well... Rex has to. Cody’s life is more or less worthless. Obi-Wan had worked very hard in trying to break that particular line in Cody’s thought, but General Kenobi was marching away with Ponds and Waxer and Boil, so it doesn’t really matter.

“Cody, is everything alright?” Obi-Wan asked, mindful of the way his padawan seemed to recede into himself.

“Yes sir,” Cody said, his distant eyes snapping to Kenobi’s face. He was saluting. He hadn’t even realized that his hand had risen up into the familiar, formal gesture.

“Cody...” Obi-Wan began, tucking his hands into his sleeves. Cody, ever vigilant, had noticed Obi-Wan usually only ever his his hands when he was feeling concerned, agitated, or simply trying to be formal. The young clone slammed his shields down and found he couldn’t be bothered to decipher which it was.

“Permission to go finish up my katas?” Cody asked instead, diverting.

Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing as he acquiesced, bowing his head.

Cody was quick to march away, willing the torrent of emotions to bleed down to a familiar numbness. He didn’t turn back once as he fled, leaving Rex and Obi-Wan alone.

Rex’s small hands curled into fists and he set his jaw in a tight frown. For all their duplicated DNA and generic genetics, with every passing day, It became clearer and clearer to Obi-Wan Kenobi that his two precious padawans were very different individuals.

Cody very much reminded the Master of Anakin—he had a wildness to him that Obi-Wan doubted he’d ever be able to tame. He had a spine made of durasteel and a will of beskar. He was more stubborn than a bantha, unwilling to abandon a project until he achieved the desired outcome. However, unlike Anakin, who challenged authority at every turn, Cody seemed to _fear_ it. He was obedient to a fault, always stiffening up into a tense stance of attention if he felt he’d shown too much anger or if he had crossed a line.

Cody’s challenges were easy for his Master to see: he feared failure, he struggled to let go of intense emotions (as letting go first required them to be _acknowledged),_ and he didn’t seem to know when enough was enough—more than once in the past few weeks, Cody had landed himself in Halls of Healing for extreme Force Exhaustion. Yet, still he persisted. His struggles, Kenobi believed, came from a terrible lack of self esteem. Cody, much to Obi-Wan’s great sorrow, had been raised on the belief that his status as a clone made him fundamentally worthless. There was darkness is Cody, it wasn’t difficult to see. There was a sharp, constant anger that festered within the boy. It reminded Obi-Wan very much of Anakin. However, unlike Anakin, all of that anger-borderline-hatred was directed inwards.

Cody’s worst enemy was Cody himself—Obi-Wan understood the feeling. He was, after all, no stranger to such deep self-loathing. However, to see it manifest itself in such a young, innocent boy... it pained Obi-Wan to his very core to see the boy wrestle so frequently with his own misplaced feelings of guilt and shame.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that Cody was without strengths—he was one of the hardest working boys Obi-Wan had ever met. His worked diligently in his classroom studies to achieve high marks, and was mostly fascinated by the study of other cultures—rituals, spiritual beliefs, dances, history, festivals, food... Cody was endless fascinated by it all. (Kamino had never offered such studies. In war, knowledge of culture is unimportant.)

Though Cody struggled in lightsaber combat (wielding a lightsaber was nothing like wielding a blaster) he had already proven himself to be highly proficient in the Force. He spent as much time as possible in deep meditation or doing Katas to improve the bond he shared with the Force. He _loved_ the Force, loved the way the Light caressed his face, loved the way it _accepted_ him, regardless of his bastardized, modified heritage. He found solace in the Force. In many ways, he very much reminded Obi-Wan of Qui-Gon Jinn—his presence in the Force burned greener than the lushest of jungle planets, dark and rich and vibrant and _alive._ He was like sandstone—firm and solids and utterly unmovable, but also carved out and worn away by the ever flowing waters of an unforgiving river and beaten smooth by harsh rains.

Rex, Obi-Wan soon came to learn, was just as unique as Cody was. He also very much reminded Obi-Wan of Anakin, but In the exact opposite way. Rex _loved_ questions. He was a curious soul and a rebellious free-thinker. Much to Cody’s constant anxiety, he never hesitated to challenge authority when he felt something was unjust, or interject his opinions when he had something to say.

Obi-Wan could see the seeds of anger and self-loathing planted in Rex, but Cody had more-or-less shielded him from the brunt of the trauma of Kamino. However, though he didn’t struggle with the same issues regarding self-worth, he still struggled to find his place their world, both as a Jedi and as Clone.

He was a stunning duelist, though he struggled with many aspects of meditation, and the Force. His preferred form was Soresu, and he favorited Ahsoka’s reverse grip. He was a clever boy with a high aptitude for thinking on his toes. A restless spirit, he preferred moving meditations, but also knew how to hold still, how to do what he was told. He had, thus far, achieved high marks in his classes, particularly in piloting and mathematics—though he was also fond of learning about other cultures, just as his brother was.

“I hate it when he does that,” Rex grumbled.

Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder. “What do you mean?” he asked gently, encouragingly.

Both boys had trouble expressing their feelings—Obi-Wan had learned this early on. He suspected it had something to do with Kamino. After all, the battlefield is not a place for feelings.

“That!” Rex exclaimed, gesturing angrily to the empty space where Cody’s retrieving form had been. “He just... he disappears. He goes away. If I try to talk about something that he doesn’t want to listen to, he just- he just goes!”

“Does that upset you?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

The anger dropped out of Rex almost instantly. He looked up at Obi-Wan and scrunched up his nose in confusion. “I don’t- I don’t know, Master,” he sputtered.

“Feelings can be complex, painful things, Padawan. Nobody is immune to feeling things. As Jedi, we learn release strong, painful emotions into the Force before they can overwhelm us, or negatively effect our judgment. However, before we can release our feelings, we must first understand them,”

Rex considered this for a moment, playing with the hem of his tunic. “Why?” he asked, after a moment of contemplation. “What is there to understand? Happiness is just happiness. Anger is just anger. Sorrow is just sorrow. What does it matter?”

“A very good question,” Obi-Wan praised, tugging on Rex’s padawan braid softly. “Everything has a purpose, Rex. Even painful, ‘bad’ feelings like anger and shame. There are reason we feel the way we feel—if we feel angry, it might be because somebody hurt us. If we’re afraid, it might be because we’re in danger. If we feel guilty or ashamed, we might know we’ve done something we shouldn’t have. So we need to listen to our feelings, understand them, and _choose_ whether or not to act on them. Only then can they be released,”

Rex pressed his lips together and shifted from foot to foot, looking a little unconvinced. “It sounds like a lot of work,” he said.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Not to worry, padawan. These things become easier and faster with practice. Now then... why do you think it upsets you when Cody leaves?”

Rex hesitated, at first in contemplation, then in trepidation. “Because... I... I think it scares me and I’m worried... I’m worried it means he’s angry and won’t come back. And... it hurts because it feels like he doesn’t like me anymore or... doesn’t trust me,”

Obi-Wan smiles sympathetically. “You might be right. Sometimes our feelings can feel very real. But... you know Cody very well. Has he ever gotten so angry that he stopped liking you?”

Rex thought for a long time and slowly shook his head. “No...”

“So, then maybe there’s another reason why Cody ran off,” Obi-Wan explained.

Obi-Wan’s lips quirked up into a little smile. “Do you think, young one, that perhaps he left for a reason?”

Rex has to think for a long, long time before he got his answer. “Maybe... he was afraid?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Perhaps he was afraid, perhaps he was overwhelmed, perhaps he was upset too. Now... does it feel very fair to get mad at him if you don’t know _why_ he left?”

Rex slowly shook his head. “No, Master,”

“Do you still feel angry with him?”

Rex thought for another moment, then shook his head again. “No, Master,”

“Then release your feelings of anger into the Force, young one. They are no longer needed here, they have nothing else to teach you right now,”

Rex closed his eyes and exhaled, and Obi-Wan felt, through their training bond, as Rex’s anger slowly dissipated. However, when Rex opened his eyes, he frowned.

“I still... I still feel something. I’m worried about him. Is that bad?” Rex asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, Rex. I’m worried too,”

“Should we go and talk to him?” Rex asked, but, again, Obi-Wan shook his head.

“Not quite yet. I think Cody would prefer to be alone right now. Let’s give him some time, then we’ll go and find him together,”

Rex nodded, bowing his head. “Yes, Master. Can we maybe get something to eat while we wait?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, squeezing his padawan’s shoulder. “Yes, I think that sounds like a good idea. Oh, and Rex?”

“Yes, Masted Obi-Wan?” Rex chirped.

“Good job. Releasing emotions can be very difficult, and I am very proud of you,” Obi-Wan said with a gentle smile, feeling as some of the lingering anxiety began to fade. “Now then, what would you like to eat?”

A few hours later, and Cody was still hard at work, going through his Katas with his training saber. There was other homework that needed to be done—literature, mathematics, language studies... not that any of it really mattered. At war, Jedi training was less about knowledge and diplomacy and more about combat. The sooner Cody could prove his worth, the sooner he could go on his Gathering Journey to get his Kyber Crystal, the sooner he’d be able to craft his lightsaber, the sooner he’d be able to help Master Obi-Wan and the 212th on the front lines.

It made for a rather hollow list. Cody had always assumed that being a Jedi was more than just being a mindless soldier—that it was something noble and honorable. Everyday, it was beginning to feel less and less so as the harsh realities of war crept in.

_The Jedi are not made for war, they are meant to be peacekeepers._

He’d heard the saying a handful of times on Kamino, and many, many more since his arrival on Coruscant.

_If only they knew how right they were_ , Cody thought bitterly. The Jedi were not meant to be soldiers, so much of their code forbids the necessary violence of war. The clones, however, were absolutely made to be soldiers—it was buried in their blood and rooted in their bones.

Sometimes, when Cody meditated, he could _feel_ his older brothers dying on the battlefield.

_Maybe nobody was meant for war._

Cody completed the set of katas and immediately startedon the next. His primary focus was in Form IV, Ataru. His natural aggression and heavy reliance on the Force was perfect for the aggressive, demanding form. He was also quite fond of the simplicity of Form I (though he sometimes found the Form I katas to be rather _boring_.)

“Cody?” Rex’s voice reverberated through the mostly-empty training salle, knocking Cody out of his meditative reverie.

“What do you want, _vod?”_ Cody demanded, gruffer than he meant to.

“I wanted to come and train with you,” Rex said with a shrug. “Can we spar?”

Cody ground his teeth. “No, not right now, Rex. I’m doing my katas,”

Rex rolled his eyes. “You’ve been doing katas for hours,”

“Yes, because unlike you, I’m not naturally _gifted_ in the art of the ‘saber and I _actually need to practice,”_

“Don’t get upset with me, I work just as hard as you do!”

“Just... could you leave me alone?” Cody demanded, beginning to feel weary. Everybody he cared about was going off to die in war and Cody just wanted time alone to be with his beloved Force.

“No,” Rex said simply.

“And why not?”

“It is not the will of the Force,” Rex said with a shrug. “Now come and spar with me,”

The urge to deck his _vod’ika_ was almost overwhelming. Nevertheless, anger was frowned upon in the Jedi Order and Obi-Wan had been trying to teach him to release his feelings.

So Cody sighed and exhaled and felt just as angry as he always did.

Nevertheless, if sparring with his obnoxious little brother was the will of the Force, so be it. Katas and moving meditations had, thus far, done nothing to easy the heavy weight in his mind, perhaps sparring would.

“Fine,” he said at last and Rex grinned.

Rex, who was just as much of a _little shit_ as Cody had come to learn their Master was, readied himself in his favored Soresu pose: training blade raised, arm outstretched, two fingers pointing. He was waiting for Cody to make the first move. Cody, the clever bastard that he was, mimicked the pose, as if he planned on fighting Soresu as well. This left Rex at an impasse: who would strike first?

They circled each other for a moment before, ultimately, Rex‘s patience fizzled out and he lunged forward. Cody had no problem dodging the blow, flipping backwards with a Force-bolstered jump, but he failed to anticipate Rex’s speed—by the time he landed, Rex was already there, striking.

Cody blocked Rex’s blow with the blade of his ‘saber and used his strength to push Rex backwards. He aimed a quick strike at Rex’s arm, but Rex had no problem deflecting it.

They went back and forth in that manner for a little while, and slowly Cody’s patience with Form III began to dwindle and his movements quickly bled into his preferred Form IV.

Rex, who was younger and smaller than Cody, had a difficult time withstanding Cody’s stronger blows. However, Rex was quick and Cody was quickly growing tired, expending extra energy on more forceful strikes. When his older brother’s movements started growing sluggish, Rex reversed his grip on his lightsaber and lunged forward, landing a quick series of strikes that would’ve left Cody dismembered had their lightsabers been real. Nevertheless, he succeeded in knocking his big brother over, and whooped in pride—this was a feat he had never been able to accomplish in their hand-to-hand combat classes on Kamino.

“You shouldn’t be holding your lightsaber like that,” Cody grumbled as he picked himself up off the ground. “You’ll get yourself killed,”

“No I won’t. Ahsoka uses it and she’s always been just fine,” Rex countered, annoyed that they were having _this_ argument again.

“She’s been fine _so far._ It’s way less efficient and it’s dangerous to hold it like that,” Cody said, carefully picking himself up off the ground.

“Yeah, but it feels better in my hands. It feels right,”

Cody merely rolled his eyes.

“You know, Master’s been teaching Ahsoka how to do jar’kai,” Rex said, quickly changing the subject. “I was thinking that maybe I could sit in on a couple of lessons,”

Cody quirked an eyebrow. “You wanna learn how to duel-wield, _vod?”_

Rex shrugged. “I dunno yet. Maybe. I used to duel wield pistols on Kamino. My other hand feels kinda empty,”

Cody considered this for a moment before shrugging. “Yeah, I can see that,” he allowed his lips to twist into a little smile. “I think it’d suit you. You should go for it,” he said, then readied a stance as if he planned to continue his katas.

Rex’s momentary elation was quashed by Cody’s sudden divided attention.

“Master Obi-Wan’s made dinner,” Rex blurted out. “Yours is going to get cold if you stay here. Or I might accidentally eat it all,”

“You can go ahead and have my portion,” Cody said, and that just made Rex feel _worse._

“Why did you call him ‘sir’ today?” Rex asked abruptly.

“What?”

“Master. You called him ‘sir’ today,” Rex said, softly. “You haven’t called him ‘sir’ in weeks. He’s not... he doesn’t like to be called that. He’s not our trained, remember? He’s our Master. That’s different. He cares for us. He doesn’t hit us. He gives us sugar cubes. He’s not- he won’t let us get decommissioned. He’s not like the trainers so why- why did you call him that?” Rex demanded.

Cody set his jaw and turned to look at his brother. “It just slipped out, okay?”

He watched as Rex’s face hardened. He could feel his brother’s anger bristling at the end of their bond, like a sparking firework trapped under a rock. He could feel his own anger sparking, churning just below the surface. They were brothers, of course they were bound to be upset with each other, of course they were bound to fight.

Cody’s grip tightened around the hilt of his training saber. “You want to go again?” he asked.

Suddenly, Rex’s expression dropped and the churning emotion on his side of the bond flatlined. He watched as Rex closed his eyes and exhaled, and felt as his brother’s emotion seemed to dissipate.

“No thanks. I just... wanna talk to you. Why are you so upset?” Rex asked.

Cody’s gaze fell and he glared at the floor. “I’m fine,” he grunted, but Rex wasn’t buying it. The smaller boy reached out and latched onto Cody’s arm.

“Are you mad at me!” he asked, just softly.

Cody’s eyes blew wide open. “Mad at _you_? Rex, no! Of course not! Never!” he exclaimed urgently. He laid his hand over Rex’s arm and gripped it tight, as if Rex would fade away should Cody loosen his hold.

“But you _are_ angry at someone,” Rex observed, stepped just a hair closer.

Cody hesitated for a long time before releasing Rex and turning away. “I’m fine. Really, I am,”

“Cody!” Rex exclaimed, stomping his foot on the ground as he finally lost his temper. “Why do you do this? Why won’t you just talk to me?”

“Because I’m trying to protect you!” Cody shouted, his own temper crumbling.

Rex stumbles backwards, his eyes wide in shock. It was the first time Cody had shouted at him—they were brothers, fighting was inevitable—however, it was the rawness behind the words that left Rex feeling a bit shaken up.

“Why?” he asked, voice hardly above a whisper.

“Why what? Why do I want to protect you?” Cody demanded, still red-hot and not quite ready to cool down. Cody could feel his brother probing along their bond and it irritated him. It shouldn’t have, but it did, he grit his teeth and was about to snap, or throw down his shields, when Rex’s presence suddenly retreated.

The blond-haired clone straightened up, his expression distressed as he seemed to sift through his own thoughts.

“You’re real scared,” he observed.

Cody’s cheeks turned scarlet and he turned away, ashamed. “Maybe,” he muttered, and the fire that had raged inside of him was suddenly gone, blown out like a candle.

“What for?” Rex asked.

“I dunno. I just... want to be out there, I guess. I want to help them fight. I don’t want- if we let them go, who knows what could happen?” Cody admitted. He felt terrible for saying it out loud, like he was admitting to something treasonous, but Rex didn’t seem bothered by it and closed the space between them, flinging his arms around his brother’s waist.

“Master’s coming back, you know. They’re not going to go marching away,” Rex said softly.

“I know that,” Cody said, feeling foolish for feeling anything at all.

“Master says it’s okay to feel afraid or angry, that sometimes feelings have stuff they’re supposed to teach us,” Rex said, and Cody shifted uncomfortably.

“Maybe, but everybody that fear and anger lead to the Dark Side,” Cody protested.

Rex scrunched up his nose. “Yeah, maybe. But that’s only if you choose to be a bad person. If every time you get angry you hit somebody, you’ll probably be Dark real quick, because you’re just being a bad person,” Rex said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But you don’t hit anybody when you get angry. You just... get quiet and go away. And... I don’t think that’s bad. I don’t think _you’re_ bad,” Rex said.

Slowly, Cody wrapped his arms around Rex and held his brother tight. He didn’t say anything, not for a long time. Eventually, he slowly let go and Rex, in turn, released his hold as well.

“You really mean that?” Cody asked, and Rex nodded eagerly, beaming widely.

“Yeah! Of course I do! Cmon. I think... maybe you should talk to Master about your feeling. He’s really good at helping,”

Cody chuckled and threw an arm around his brother. “Yeah, maybe I will,”

“I was angry at you earlier, and he talked to me about it,” Rex said, eager to vouch for his master.

“Angry? At me? Why?” Cody asked, but Rex just shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I let it go into the Force,” he explained, beaming brightly.

“Yeah? Hey, that’s really good,” Cody praised, more than happy to encourage his little brother. “Maybe you could teach me how to do that,”

“Maybe,” Rex said with a shrug. “But not until after dinner. So hurry up! Master’s had dinner ready for a long time and I’m really hungry, Cody,” Rex pled, feeling a little lighter as he tugged on Cody’s sleeve. “Will you really let me have your portion?” he asked eagerly.

Cody managed a chuckle and tugged on Rex’s padawan braid. “Maybe. Let’s just... let’s just hurry up and get home,”

Rex nodded. “Okay. I’ll race you back to our quarters!” he exclaimed.

“Rex, no wait-!”

“Ready, set, go!” Rex shouted, and immediately went tearing out of the salle and down the hall, this, of course, left Cody no choice but to follow, running along after his brother.

They were about halfway back to their quarters when something happened. Something bad.

Cody, who was so focused on trying to catch up to Rex, wasn’t watching where he was going, and didn’t see as Commander Ponds rounded a corner. Cody, unable to stop in time, barreled into Commander Ponds and accidentally knocked him to the floor. The Commander’s bucket went flying. Cody, feeling deeply embarrassed, scrambled to go retrieve the missing helmet.

He hadn’t looked at Ponds.

He didn’t see his face.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The Force was all twisted up in warning.

“I’m so sorry Commander!” Cody exclaimed, bending down to pick up the bucket. “Here, let me get that for you,”

Ponds didn’t answer.

Cody picked up the bucket and, as soon as his hands touched the object, the Force _screamed._ Instantly, he was overwhelmed with sounds and images.

_Ponds._

_Children._

_Holocron._

_Bane._

He saw flashes of a man with a hat and blue skin receiving orders from a hooded figure. He saw a woman take the shape of a dead Jedi. He saw intricate maps of the Temple’s inner layout. He saw the man with blue skin assault Commander Ponds and steal his armor.

_Thieves._

_Force._

_Bane._

_Holocron._

Cody’s eyes snapped open with a gasp. His heart was racing.

“Thank you, young one. I very much appreciate it,” said a warbling, mechanized voice that was most decidedly not Commander Ponds.

Cody’s breath caught in his throat.

The man with the blue skin glowered at him as he slowly returned the helmet from the padawan’s stiff hands.

“You aren’t Ponds,” Cody whispered, dumbfounded.

“A very astute observation,” the strange man purred.

Cody’s com suddenly came to life. “Cody! Rex, this is Obi-Wan. Return to our quarters immediately! There is a-“

The transmission was cut off as the man grabbed Cody’s wrist and wrapped his hand around it, squeezing until the device shattered. Cody cried out in pain and used the Force to push the man with the blue skin backwards. As Not-Ponds went toppling backwards, Cody made a break for it, sprinting past Not-Cody as fast as he could.

Not-Cody’s hands immediately went for his blaster. He was a quick draw, quicker than Cody had anticipated.

Rex, panicked by the transmission on his com and wondering why the hell Cody was no longer following him, returned the the hallway just in time to see a blaster bolt pierce Cody’s shoulder as Cody dropped to his knees.


	7. Chapter 7

Obi-Wan set his jaw as he stood before the Council. “A thief?” he echoed, his anxieties churning in the Force like a thrashing monster buried deep beneath the waters of a calm ocean.

His mind was heavy weigh the weight of the upcoming campaign: surely it would be no different than any other campaign, but the idea of leaving his young padawans behind made him uneasy. What’s more, he was concerned about Cody’s behavior—he didn’t seem to take the news well.

“How can you be sure?” he asked and Yoda merely shook his head.

“A great disturbance in the Force. Shifting, the Force is. Prepared we all must be,” the aged master said.

“Do we know what they’re after?” Anakin asked from his place beside Obi-Wan in the center of the room.

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, one hand reaching up to stroke his beard. “They good be after our transmission signal codes,” he offered, narrowing his eyes. “It would be logical to assume-“

Obi-Wan’s statement was interrupted by his beeping com. He narrowed his eyes and moved to turn the device off, but stopped as the Force seemed to flare around him.

“Excuse me, masters,” he said, bowing his head, and twisted away from the assembly of Jedi to take the transmission.

The message was simple: _Obi-Wan, this is Vokara Che. Your presence is requested in the Halls of Healing immediately._ The transmission cut off there, and icy flooded through Obi-Wan’s veins, as if his blood had been flash-frozen.

Where were his padawans? Before the Council had requested his _immediate_ presence, he had sent Rex to go find Cody while he finished making dinner. Perhaps that had been a mistake. Perhaps the two of them should’ve gone together. Had something happened to them? Had the thief found them?

Carefully tucking his hands back into his sleeves, he turned back around to face the Council. “My apologies, Masters,” he began, gracefully.

Master Windu narrowed his eyes and tipped his head towards the door. “Go,” he instructed, and Obi-Wan hastily obeyed.

It was a rather undignified image: a Master Jedi sprinting down the hallway. However, in that particular moment, Obi-Wan’s couldn’t be less concerned about appearances. Far more important things were at stake and he was _certainly_ not going to casually meander down the hallways for the sake of his image.

Upon arriving at the Halls of Healing, he was greeted first by a young Healer, then by Master Che herself, who lead him to a bacta-tank where Commander Ponds floated listlessly.

Obi-Wan’s first feeling was one of great relief—nothing had happened to his padawans. The second feeling was one of regret, immediately followed by a wave of horror.

Bruises mottled every inch of the Commander. His face was so swollen, it was nearly unrecognizable. There was a long, deep gash that ran the length of one of Ponds’ forearms, and a particularly dark patch of bruises that seemed to wrap around the entirety of the Commander’s abdomen.

Blood loss. Internal hemorrhaging. Potential brain damage.

Obi-Wan’s stomach dropped like a particularly unfortunate goldfinch, shot out of the sky for no other purpose than to satiate somebody else’s amusement.

He placed a hand on the cool glass of the bacta tank, fingers splayed, an impossible part of him wishing, _aching_ to trade places with his dear commander. This was the sort of brutality that Obi-Wan wouldn’t wish on anyone. It was barbaric. It was animalistic.

“Oh, my dear commander,” Obi-Wan whispered, his heavy heart aching with a sort of bone-deep pain that made his limbs feel heavy and his head spin. Commander Ponds was one of his closest friends. Perhaps a very foolish part of Obi-Wan had forgotten that the commander was just as mortal as anybody else.They had survived countless battles, endless campaigns—all fought on foreign soil beneath unfamiliar stars—only for Ponds to find Death’s Door at home.

That was hardly fair.

“What happened?” Obi-Wan asked, unable to take his eyes off of Ponds’ still form.

Ponds, though outwardly calm, had always carried a frenetic energy with him. His mind was always working, always thinking, always moving, even while his body stood stone still. He was intelligent, observant, witty, clever, funny...

And so, so very still.

“He was found by a group of initiates, tucked away in a closet,” Master Che said. “His clothes were missing,”

Oh, that’s didn’t bode well.

“Someone is traipsing around the Temple as Commander Ponds,” Obi-Wan surmised, drawing his brows together. “The Council must be notified immediately. The whole Temple must be placed on red alert,” He was rambling now, one hand reaching up to stroke his beard as his mind worked through the potential ramifications of this assault.

The thief had successfully entered among their ranks.

While the world spun, the Jedi Master twisted away, stepping towards the door as he reached for his com. Then, suddenly, he froze, his train of thought completely derailed.

“Vokara?” he asked, sounding almost timid as he turned back around. “What of my commander? Will he live?”

The twi’lek pressed his lips into a thin line. This was not an easy question to answer. The human body was a fickle, complicated thing. Anything could go wrong.

“Perhaps,” she said. “At this time, his future is unclear. However, there is no reason, yet, to assume the worst. Have faith, Obi-Wan. I will do all I can,”

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. For all his longing and all his aching grief, he simply didn’t have time to dwell on such concerns. If Ponds lived, he lived. If he died, he died. Obi-Wan had no control over the matter.

At the very least, his commander had been found. He allowed that thought to comfort him.

The same could not be said for his padawans. He had to com them immediately.

Ponds was a train soldier. He had been armed. Rex and Cody, while not untrained, were children. Weaponless children.

“Cody! Rex! This is Obi-Wan. Return to our quarters immediately! There is a thief in the Temple and he is very dangerous!” Obi-Wan said.

When he received no response form either boy, his panic doubled. He thought of Ponds, floating motionless in the bacta tank, hovering right on the cusp of death. He thought of Anakin, his eyes blown wide with shock and horror and pain as Count Dooku cleaved off his arm. He thought of Qui-Gon Jinn, doubling over as the angry blade of the Red-Faced Monster pierced his stomach.

He would not allow arm to befall Rex and Cody. He would not fail them as he had failed Ponds and Anakin and Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan’s com came to life with a burst of cracking static, shaking the Jedi from his stupor.

“Master! This is Rex! I promise I’m coming, but I have to find Cody first. He was right behind me but when I turned around he was-“

On the other end of the line, Rex fell silent.

The unmistakable sound of blasterfire filled the crackling com.

“Rex! What’s happening? Rex! Rex!” Obi-Wan demanded.

The line went dead.

Obi-Wan grit his teeth, staving off the broiling panic with a wall of iron. Now was not the time to let emotions cloud his judgement. He needed to find peace. He needed to be one with the Force. The Force would guide him to his padawans. He only needed to have faith in it.

\- - -

Getting shot doesn’t feel how Cody expected it to feel. Upfront, it feels like a pinprick. Somewhere behind that, he feels an uncomfortable pressure. It feels like getting stung by a bee, but less painful. Less sharp. More of a dull ache.

He was on the floor. His beach was spinning. His chest ached, his lungs feeling completely empty, as if he’d gotten the breath knocked right out of him.

He heard somebody say something about “such a shame” and “disposing of pesky Jedi brats” but the words didn’t really process. All Cody could really concentrate on was the anger steadily mounting in his chest.

“You pushed me!” he exclaimed. It was the only logical answer his hazy brain could come up with to explain why he was on the ground, and why he was so achy—the whole ‘blasterfire’ thing wasn’t really computing. It really had felt like getting pushed. Later, when he was out of danger and slightly more coherent, he would think on this moment and feel sort of awed by the sheer amount of force behind a blaster bolt. Now, however, he was too preoccupied with his dizzying irritation.

“Why did you do that? Why did you push me?” Cody shouted as he slowly picked himself up.

Force, he really wasn’t feeling great.

Even as the man with blue-skin (Bane? The Force had called him Bane) raises his (Ponds’?) blaster and aimed it right for Cody’s face, the Jedi Padawan still couldn’t make his brain _do the go_ enough to process that, hello, his life was _about to end._

Then, suddenly, the blaster was twisted free of Bane’s gasp, by an unseen force, and went skittering across the floor. Rex came _hurtling_ down the hall and flung himself at Bane with such forced that they both collapsed to the ground. Rex landed one good hit on Bane’s face before the thief was able to push the padawan away, landing a heavy punch of his own.

Rex reeled backwards, his hands flying up to touch the weeping gash beneath his left eye. However, he was relatively unfazed but the blow: their trainers used to hit a helluva lot harder.

Bane, staggering to his feet, pulled out a second blaster—something shaped more like a pistol, and was clearly not GAR sanctioned.

The haze in Cody’s head vanished, filtered out by panic as pain surged through his wounded shoulder. Oh Force, he’d just been shot! Oh Force, that man was going to shoot Rex!

“Rex, move! Move! Rex, Move!” he shouted.

But Rex didn’t move.

Rex has faced down many blasters during his training on Kamino. However, those blasters weren’t real blaster. A hit from them would stun and hurt like hell, but wouldn’t kill.

This would kill.

Rex was going to die.

An all too familiar ice flooded through Rex’s veins as his mind took the image before him and contorted it. Suddenly, he was no longer in the halls of the Jedi Temple. Suddenly, he was back on Kamino, being lead down unfamiliar hallways to be put down like a sick dog.

Cody watched with utter horror as Rex’s eyes grew wide with terror and every muscle in his body stiffened. Rex froze up. Rex was going to die.

“Rex!”

Cody drew his training saber and ignited the blade just as Bane fired the first of three shots. He stepped right between Rex and the first of the blaster bolts, which connected with saber’s blade and exploded—the half-powered blade lacked the energy to deflect the bolt completely—releasing a wave of energy strong enough to send Cody tumbling backwards against Rex, the training saber flying from his hands. Both boys hit the ground like wet towels, bloody weeping from the aggravated wound in Cody’s shoulder as the cauterized flesh tugged split open.

Blood was dripping down from the back of Rex’s hair—his blonde hair stained with iron. His eyes were shut and his face was completely slack. _He must’ve cracked his head against the floor when he fell_ , Cody realized with no small amount of horror. Luckily, Cody could still feel his brother’s presence in the Force. Rex wasn’t dead yet; that was comforting.

Bane began shooting again and Cody hooked his arms under Rex’s armpits and tugged him away from the shots. The movement was far too much for Cody’s damaged shoulder—severed muscles being forced to work—and the pain appeared like lightning as the mangled nerve endings suddenly woke up.

Cody hollered in pain, his vision turning back around the edges and the world began to spin. It was such an intense feeling, it nearly drove him to his knees.

Nearly.

Cody grit his teeth. He had to protect Rex. He had to protect his _vod’ika._ He wouldn’t let anybody hurt him. Not anybody. Not ever.

Cody took a protective stance standing over his brother, and outstretched his hand. The training saber went flying into his hands and he gripped the hold so hard his knuckles turned white.

“I didn’t know clones could be Jedi,” Bane sneered derisively, growling past his vocoder. “I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised. I’ve never met a force-sensitive _animal_ before,”

“Take another step forward and I’ll show you just how Force-sensitive I am!” Cody snarled in retaliation.

Bane merely smirked and took a rather proud step forward.

“Shame you aren’t all Force-sensitive. Maybe then your brother would’ve stood a better chance,” Bane mused, patted his stolen chest plate.

Ponds.

Cody felt a wave of grief wash over him. Where was the clone commander? Was he dead?

With a strangled cry, Cody faved his arm and with one massive push of the Force, sent Bane flying backwards. Unfortunately, Bane was quite to right himself and fired off several rounds, two of which caught Cody in the thigh. He managed to deflect a third shot with his training saber, but that was a mistake—the ensuing blast of energy when the bolt and the blade connected, send Cody flying backwards, tripping over slumped form of his brother.

The training saber went flying once again, clattering uselessly against the ground. Cody reached for it, but Bane shot the saber until it was smoking, rendered completely inoperable.

Cody’s wild, brown eyes landed on Ponds’ discarded blaster, still laying abandoned on the floor behind Bane from when Rex had twisted it out of his hands. Cody outstretched his hand and the blaster came flying towards him—until bane reached out and snatched it right out of the air.

“Bye-bye baby Jedi,” Bane crooned as Cody scrambled to his feet, completely unaware of his damaged leg, unable to feel the pain behind the rush of adrenaline.

Thinking fast, Cody splayed one arm out in front of himself and one arm behind, using the Force to pull Bane’s head close, and push his legs away. With a startled cry, Bane smacked against the ground. If nothing else, Cody had at least bought them a few seconds.

“Help! Somebody help! There’s a thief! Somebody help us!” Cody shouted and he stooped down and hooked his hands under Rex’s armpits, tugging him backwards.

With every tug, Cody’s vision darkened as the pain in his shoulder spiked. His thigh was starting to hurt with a pain and pressure that could only be described as nauseating— two third-degree, cauterizing burns that ran through the meat of his leg completely. With every step backwards, more blood oozed from from every wound until it had soaked through the creams of his padawan tunic.

Bane didn’t stay down for long. Soon, he was reaching for both blaster. Cody dropped Rex and reached out to the Force. There was only one option left. He had to buy as much time as he could.

“Help! Please help!” he shouted, even while he outstretched his arm and called upon the Force for help.

It took every ounce of strength, of concentration. He used the Force to hold the man in place, to freeze him where he stood.

“Help! Please! Somebody!” Cody’s voice was ragged. His energy was fleeting. With every drop of blood that dribbled from his shoulder, his thigh, he felt himself grow weaker, felt a numbness that began in his finger slowly begin to creep up his arms.

Bane looked furious, finger wrapped around the triggers of his guns, completely immobilized by Cody’s control over the Force.

Blood began dripping from Cody’s nose as the strain of keeping a man utterly quiescent took its toll on his body. A pain, the likes of which Cody had never known, racked Cody’s body.

A helpless sob tore from Cody’s throat just as his strength failed him. He collapsed, covering Rex’s body with his own, hopping that if Bane began to fire, his own death would merit Rex a few more precious second.

Cody heard Bane’s cry of indignation. He could almost feel the molecules of air around him displace as the thief pressed the trigger—even for such a small action, there was the inevitable reaction—and Cody’s body tensed, back turned towards the blue-skinned man, swaying his inevitable death.

In his mind’s eye he could feel the blaster bolts as they pierced his back, tearing through skin and muscle, roping through his spine. He whispered one last goodbye to Rex and awaited the pain.

It never came.

He felt a presence and heard a lightsaber ignite and suddenly somebody was standing in front of him.

“You have made a very terrible mistake,”

Cody knew that voice. That was Master Obi-Wan!

“Master!” Cody croaked jerking his head up just in time to see Obi-Wan deflect two bolt with his lightsaber.

Cody’s tears were wet. Why? He was relieved. For the second time in only a few weeks, he had escaped death. He pulled Rex into his arms and held him close, resting his head against the floor. His eyes drifted shut. Everything was okay now. Master Obi-Wan was here.

\- - -

Rex was kneeling between Cody and Ponds’ bacta tanks when Master Obi-Wan arrived at the Halls of Healing with a plate of breakfast.

Two days had passed since the thief had broken into the Temple. In the end, Bane had escaped and Obi-Wan had let him go, more interested in saving his padawan than in pursuing a thief with unknown motives.

After discovering that Bane had, in fact, been after a very _special_ Jedi holocron, Obi-Wan had expected to feel guilty that he had allowed the thief to escape. However, Obi-Wan did not feel guilty. He only felt great relief that Cody was still alive.

There had been a rough patch in the beginning, that first night, when Cody had lost so much blood, it was unclear whether or not he would survive. However, he had lived through that first night, and his heath steadily continued to improve.

Both Rex and Obi-Wan had, of course, remained by Cody’s side throughout the whole ordeal. At some point, Vokara Che had threatened to throw both the master and the young boy out they didn’t leave to go and get some sleep. However, when she returned a few hours later to change Cody’s IV line, and found Rex fast asleep, curled up on Obi-Wan’s lap, she merely sighed and found a spare blanket to drape over them.

The worst part, in Obi-Wan’s mind, had been when Rex had pressed his forehead against the glass of Cody’s bacta tank, desperately clinging onto his brother’s flickering life Force, and quietly asked, “When are they going to die?”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan had asked, crouching beside the boy because, truthfully, the question hadn’t make any sense. Both Ponds and Cody were recovering well, and the prognosis was looking good.

“How long do they have until you pull the plug?” Rex had asked instead.

Because apparently, bacta was expensive and clones were so terribly expendable, it made more sense to pull the plug, to let Ponds and Cody die, rather than waste valuable resources.

Rex had thought that Ponds and Cody were on a deadline, that they only had a certain period of time before they were given up on and discarded.

Obi-Wan had very swiftly pulled Rex into his arms and held him tight.

“We won’t do that. We would never do that,” Obi-Wan had assured, his voice quavering ever so softly. “Rex, there are many, many, many clones in this galaxy. But there is only one Cody and only one Ponds and only one Rex. And if anything were to happen to you, we would miss you all very much, so we’re going to do whatever it takes to keep them safe and make them better, no matter how long it takes,”

And Rex had simply wrapped his arms around his master’s neck and nodded, completely at a loss for words.

“How are they doing?” Obi-Wan asked, passing Rex his plate of food, which was eagerly accepted and immediately devoured.

“Good! Cody was awake a minute ago, but he might’ve fallen back asleep—Master Che says that bacta makes you sleepy. But she also says that’s he’s healing well and so she wants to take him out of the bacta later tonight. Commander Ponds still has to stay in his tank for a little while, because, apparently head injuries take longer to heal,” Rex said, between mouthfuls of food.

“Chew with your mouth closed, Rex,” Obi-Wan tutted, chuckling as he sat down on a nearby chair. He patted the empty seat next to him and Rex eagerly scrambled over to sit beside his master, however he decided to finish his food before speaking again.

“Are you still leaving tomorrow?” Rex asked, licking his fingers. The expression on his face was almost nervous, as if he was afraid to know the answer.

“No,” Obi-Wan said, much to Rex’s great relief. “The Council has decided to sender Master Plo and the 104th. Until Ponds and Cody recover, it would be wiser if I stayed here,”

Rex hesitated for a moment, anxiously drawing his finger around the edge of the plate.

“I’m... sorry we didn’t catch him, Master. I’m sorry we let the thief get away,”

Obi-Wan regarded the boy, only for a moment, before carefully reaching over and taking the child’s smaller hand in his. “Rex... you did all you could. I do not blame you or Cody for what happened. Though I am eager to hear Cody’s side of the story, I imagine you were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m happy that you’re both safe, and very proud of your bravery,”

Rex was silent, wrestling with the feelings locked away inside of him. However, his fight was brief. After a moment, he closed his eyes, and Obi-Wan watched, with no small amount of pride, as Rex released his feelings into the Force.

“Thank you, Master,” the boy said, with a curt bow and a big, relaxed smile.

\- - -

When Cody first woke up, the first thing he noticed was the horrible metallic tang in his mouth, like copper and iodine. His eyelids were heavy, and the words around him felt fuzzy. He couldn’t seem to open his eyes. Beyond him, there Was a voice, speaking in even tones. There was a steady pressure on his head, running across his scalp, pushing through his hair. Distantly, he was reminded of his batchmates and wondered if they were here, stroking his hair just like they used to before his demotion.

The hand was removed and Cody found himself missing it. It had been a long time since he’d felt so safe and comforted.he had been the youngest in the batch, which meant his brothers had an obligation to watch over him, to protect him, to comfort him.

He hadn’t been the younger brother in a long, long time.

Somebody above him was speaking. Muddled behind the fog and iodine, he recognized Obi-Wan’s Force signature. For a moment, he was torn between anxiety and relaxation; he ought get up, ought to get back to his training, ought to prove his worth, but he simply didn’t have the energy.

“Ah, somebody’s fallen asleep,” Obi-Wan said, somewhere miles and miles above him.

Rex’s Force signature was there, good: sharp and blue and steady. He could almost feel his brother’s breath, even and steady under the influence of sleep.

Obi-Wan’s presence retreated from his side, and soon both his master’s and his brother’s Force signatures began to move farther away—Cody didn’t see as Obi-Wan tucked one arm beneath Rex’s knees and the other behind his shoulders, carefully pulling the sleeping child into his arms, carrying him off back to their quarters to tuck him into bed for the night.

Rex and Obi-Wan drifted off to somewhere else, and Cody drifted too, losing his hold on his consciousness.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he came to again, but when his fleeting thoughts returned to him, Obi-Wan was in the room again, speaking in even tones once more. That hand was back in his hair, pushing through the short-cropped prickles.

Cody felt stronger this time. He felt a little more coherent. He couldn’t seem to make his eyes open, but he could understand what Obi-Wan was saying: he was reading a story.

Cody swallowed and licked his lips. The movement caught Obi-Wan’s attention, and the master went impossibly still.

“Cody?”

Cody’s brows knit together as he fought to speak, or open his eyes, or _something._

“Master...?” he managed to croak out.

The heavy hand was still in his hair, but another hand suddenly fell across his torso gently draped over one of his own hands.

“How do you feel?” Obi-Wan asked.

Cody was quiet for a long time, trying to force his addled mind to function enough to process a coherent though. “Bad...” he admitted softly.

“Would you like me to fetch Master Che? She can give you something for the pain,” Obi-Wan offered.

Cody’s fingers twitched, curling around his Master’s ever so slightly. “No... ‘m okay,” he said softly, his head rolling to one side. “Do I... do I still have my arms and legs?” he asked, concern bleeding out into the Force like water through a sieve. He could certainly feel things, and he remembered getting shot, but he was having a hard time discerning what was and was not attached to his body.

However, Cody’s concern was fleeting. Losing limbs was probably bad. That was probably something he didn’t want. However, if he _had_ lost a limb, Cody wasn’t sure how much he would actually care—he was too busy floating between his master’s voice and the taste of iodine.

Obi-Wan chuckled. “No. You still have all your limbs,”

“Oh. That’s good,” Cody mused, his lips quirking upwards into the laziest of smiles. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay for very long. His brows knit together once more as his smile turned into a weary, thoughtful frown. “Did you get ‘im?”

“I’m afraid not. He got away. But Anakin and Ahsoka are out looking for him. They’ll catch him,” Obi-Wan assured.

“Oh,” was all Cody said. He’d have time to feel bad about it later. Right now, he didn’t really care. “Are you still leaving?” he asked next, his voice growing softer and slower with every word that tumbled out of his lips, as sleep fought to claim him once more.

“No. I’m not leaving. I’m staying right here,” Obi-Wan said, squeezing Cody’s hand, and Cody smiled once more.

He didn’t say anything after that. He was far too tired. The expression on his face smoothed out, and his jaw hung slack. Peace fell over the Force and Obi-Wan found himself releasing a breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding.

Rex was safe. Cody was safe. Ponds was safe. Obi-Wan had never been more relieved. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Cody’s head as he tugged the blankets up around his shoulders—just as he had done with Rex when he’d tucked the boy into bed only a few hours prior.

“Yes,” he said softly, the beginnings of a quiet promise. “I will be here. I will always be right here,”


End file.
